Panini America Secures Exclusive U.S. Rights To One Direction; Will Release Collectible Photocards In The Fall

IRVING, Texas, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Panini America, the world's largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, announced today that it has secured the exclusive global collectibles rights to British/Irish boy-band sensation One Direction. The relationship includes exclusivity in the U.S. The company's first product devoted to the group, a set of 90 collectible photocards, will release in the fall.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120813/DA56423)

Drawing comparisons to the Beatles, One Direction burst onto the scene in 2011 after being discovered on the British television show "The X Factor." The band's debut album, "Up All Night," became Britain's fastest-selling debut album of the year. In 2012, the album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart, earning One Direction the distinction of being the first British band to debut at No. 1 in the U.S. with its first album.

"One Direction Mania has gripped the globe and all of us here at Panini America are huge fans," said Mark Warsop, the CEO of Panini America. "We're really excited about this partnership and we look forward to delivering unique One Direction collectibles that will appeal to fans of all ages."

Panini America's first One Direction product, a set of 90 collectible photocards – each measuring 4 by 6 inches and honoring band members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson – will release in early fall. Each pack will include six photocards and will retail for $2. Fans can pre-order Panini America's One Direction photocards and commemorative binder now at http://iCollectPanini.com, the company's official online store.    

The company also has plans for additional products, including a One Direction trading card set and the official One Direction Sticker and Album collection.

"We were impressed with the quality, creativity and potential of Panini America's products, as well as the company's proven track record with huge global entertainment properties," said One Direction Management. "We're confident the millions of One Direction fans in the United States will be equally impressed."

Panini America is the only company in the world that manufactures licensed trading cards and stickers for the NBA, NFL, NFL PLAYERS, NHL, NHLPA, MLBPA and FIFA World Cup. The company also has exclusive relationships with USA Baseball, USA Basketball and the U.S. Soccer Women's National Team.  In addition Panini also has relationships with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and owns exclusive entertainment licenses with Disney, Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson, and more than 600 global licenses with other sports and entertainment properties.

ABOUT PANINI:

The Panini Group, established almost 50 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for MLBPA, NBA, NFL, NHL, FIFA, USA Baseball, Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini has distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff of over 800. For more information visit us at www.paninigroup.com or www.paniniamerica.wordpress.com. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and on YouTube.

Media Contact:
Tracy Hackler, Panini America
214-552-3475
[email protected]   

SOURCE Panini America