CBS Consumer Products Takes Over ‘CSI’ Franchise

CBS Consumer Products will assume control of all international licensing rights for the “CSI” franchise, effective immediately, with the closing of a 2007 agreement with GS Capital Partners, a private equity fund managed by Goldman, Sachs & Co. GS Capital Partners had previously purchased Alliance Atlantis’s financial interest in the property—including international licensing rights—and will remain 50/50 partners with CBS in the franchise.

CBS Consumer Products will take over existing international licensing agreements and will be responsible for all future licensing around the world of the three CSI series.

The “CSI” franchise consists of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: Miami,” and “CSI: NY.” In addition to high ratings in the United States, internationally all three series currently rank among the top 20 U.S. series in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Each series in the franchise is licensed in over 180 territories.

In other news, CBS Consumer Products appointed FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) as exclusive licensing agency for Australia and New Zealand.

FME will now look to build merchandising programs for CBS’s signature brands including current smash hit franchises “Star Trek” and “Australia’s Next Top Model” and a number of classic library properties such as “Happy Days,” “Brady Bunch,” and “Beverly Hills 90210.”

The division also has expanded its relationship with longtime UK licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Limited (CPLG), to include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and Italy.