‘Downton Abbey’ Continues U.S. Growth

Knockout Licensing continues to expand the U.S. licensing program for the hit British drama “Downton Abbey” with the addition of two new licensees in partnership with NBCUniversal International Television Production.

Publisher Running Press will create Downton Abbey specialty gift items including a snow globe and a light-up desktop Downton Abbey castle. Running Press will also add mini booklets of favorite quotes and color photos from the series to its The Miniature Edition line. The light-up Downton Abbey will be available in March with the snow globe following in September.

Additionally, Everest has been granted North American distribution rights for the official Downton Abbey board game, which was created by U.K.-based Destination Games, a division of She Who Dares U.K.

“We know and appreciate that there is such tremendous interest in ‘Downton Abbey’ among our U.S. and Canadian fans, so choosing the right licensing partners is always important to us,” says Brad Wald, chief commercial officer, NBCUniversal International Television Production. “Since Running Press and Everest both enjoy strong reputations for quality products, we expect them to be excellent fits for our licensing roster in North America.”

The fourth season of “Downton Abbey” debuted in the U.S. Sunday to record ratings.