`Trading Spaces'

Sharon Markowitz Bennett faced a tricky predicament. After joining Discovery Communications' consumer products unit as senior VP-strategic partnerships and licensing a year and a half ago, she surmised that the cable hit "Trading Spaces" could be easily mined for licensing and merchandising gold. After all, "Trading Spaces" put Discovery-owned TLC on the world's TV radar with hit ratings in 2002, two years after the show's launch. It begat specials and spinoffs, and served as a lead-in for such fare as "What Not to Wear." And it inspired as many as a dozen copycat shows on other networks. So was Ms. Bennett's task a no-brainer? Yes, but it presented a bigger challenge than it might seem. Retailers are more accustomed to stocking shelves with "SpongeBob Square Pants" T-shirts and lunch boxes than goods inspired by a reality show on cable (not to mention that "Trading Spaces' " most popular moments often spring from design misfires). "This isn't your typical character-based program," says Ms. Bennett. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old former Walt Disney Co. executive eventually signed up more than 30 licensing partners. So far, so good. "Trading Spaces: Behind the Scenes," the first of five show-inspired books, stayed on The New York Times best-seller list for 24 weeks, selling an estimated 1 million copies. As the show enters its fourth season, TLC is betting the public's enthusiasm for glue-gun-wielding neighbors won't wane. Arriving in 2004: everything from bedding to lighting, all inspired by TLC's signature show.

`Trading Spaces'

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