Strategic alliance brings world’s largest entertainment franchise to screen-free platform, as audio content market surges.
tonies’ €481 million revenue (+33% YoY) partnership with The Pokémon Company International marks a watershed moment for children’s audio publishing. The sector is experiencing explosive growth, with the global children’s audiobooks market projected to reach $3.55 billion by 2030, growing at 12% CAGR.
Audio content subscriptions for children have risen 15% annually over three years, with listenership among 6-12 year-olds doubling since 2019.
Strategic Value
The collaboration positions tonies to capitalise on two converging trends: parents seeking screen-time alternatives and the surge in multimedia storytelling.
Four Pokémon Tonies – Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle -launch summer 2026, targeting the 10 million+ Tonieboxes worldwide. This mirrors successful licensing strategies by publishers like Scholastic, which has expanded its audio library to counter digital competition.
tonies’ platform now hosts 460+ partners, including Disney and Marvel, demonstrating the scalability of its audio-first model.
The partnership adds Pokémon’s 25+ year storytelling heritage to a catalogue of 3,500+ digital titles, creating both physical figurines and exclusive audio narratives.
The View From The Beach
For publishers, this signals a shift in audio distribution strategy. Rather than proprietary platforms, IP holders partner with specialist distributors offering physical collectibles and digital content. The model generates recurring revenue through figurine sales while building engagement via subscription libraries.
Heather Dalgleish Parker of The Pokémon Company notes: “This allows us to explore audio-first storytelling and create immersive experiences.”
The deal arrives as children’s publishers face margins pressure from illustrated book costs. Audio partnerships offer higher gross margins – tonies achieved 70.9% in H1 2025 – while meeting demand for screen-free content. With 15% of new children’s releases featuring interactive elements, this exemplifies how traditional IP can be reimagined for audio-native consumption.
Bottom Line: The tonies-Pokémon partnership validates audio as a primary children’s publishing channel, not merely a format extension. It demonstrates the commercial viability of licensing major IP to specialised audio platforms with established hardware ecosystems.
H/T to Kuo-Yu Liang for spotting this news.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
