New branding executives at Universal, Hello Kitty's latest sports venture, Gwen Stefani's new girls' TV series … these are the stories that shaped the week of April 13.

Universal Adds Trio of Brand Execs

Universal Pictures has added three new executives to its recently formed brand development division–Santiago Capdepont, Stephanie Kraus and Marc Low. Read more...

Hello Kitty Supports AC Milan

adidas Italia is bringing together the Italian football team AC Milan (for which it is master licensor) and Sanrio's Hello Kitty for a collection of gear aimed at female fans. Read more...

Gwen Stefani Inspires Girls’ TV Show

Gwen Stefani has tapped the production companies Moody Street Kids and Vision Animation for a new TV series inspired by the singer and her sidekicks, the Harajuku Girls. Read more...

MLBPA Hits Licensing Out of the Park

Baseball season has begun, and the Major League Baseball Players Association is hitting it out of the park in the business of merchandising and licensed goods. Read more...

NBA, PepsiCo Join Forces

The National Basketball Association has announced a new multi-year marketing partnership with PepsiCo, making the company an official partner of all of its leagues beginning next season. Read more...