As the reality show enters its tenth year, we find out what agent Metrostar has planned.
Few could have predicted when the colourful characters of TOWIE first hit TV screens back in 2010 just what an overnight success the show would be.
Almost ten years on and just as with any good perma-tan, there is no sign of the show’s popularity fading. But while licensing was strong for the show in the early days, activity has waned recently. Now, a new partnership between Lime Pictures and Metrostar Media means an exciting resurgence in licensing activity, with a slightly more mature outlook.
“When TOWIE first hit screens in 2010, Lime Pictures had a huge amount of interest and various products were created. Fashion and beauty was, and still is, incredibly popular amongst viewers, so there was a raft of product created. However, there hasn’t been any licencing activity for about five years,” explains Sinead Dean, senior brand development manager at Lime Pictures.
But with the ten-year anniversary of the show coming up in 2020, this is all about to change. “Lime Pictures really want to celebrate TOWIE turning ten and feel this is the perfect time to reinvigorate their licencing activity,” explains Sinead.
The people of Billiericay are certainly no strangers to TV cameras a decade on, but does the show have the same strong following as ever, or has the audience evolved?
“TOWIE is still attracting over one million viewers per episode and is the most watched show on the channel it’s broadcast on, ITVBe,” insists Sinead. “It also has a huge social media following, with over one million Facebook followers and 500,000 Instagram followers.”
So how does Metrostar intend to catch the hearts and minds of a new generation of TOWIE lovers? Claire Potter, md of Metrostar Media, reveals: “We’re focusing on the lifestyle categories. We see TOWIE inspired fashion, lingerie, beachwear, beauty, body, accessories and homewares collections, with retail exclusives being key.”
With Metrostar aiming its sights at the high street and online fashion and beauty outlets, it is determined to remain accessible to TOWIE demographic of women aged 16-34, while being mindful that the show’s original audience has matured over the last ten years.
“TOWIE definitely has a sophisticated look and feel, it really has matured and moved with its viewers,” explains Sinead. “To reflect this there will be a new style guide based on TOWIE’s black and gold logo, so there’s a whole new look and feel that licensees can work with. The gold pallet definitely stays true to TOWIE’s ‘bling’ roots, just a little sleeker and dare we say sexy!”
This feature originally appeared in the autumn 2019 edition of Licensing Source Book. Click here to read the full publication.
