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Franchise businesses continue to showcase some of the strongest branding around the world. So, it’s not a surprise that where a form of franchising can be followed, business leaders will give it a try. After all, the core of franchising – selling a branding template – lets anyone quickly become competitive and recognisable.
In 2026, franchises have a lot to look forward to, even with the well-known potential difficulties that continue to bubble up to the surface. Looking ahead to what could shape the business and consumer market in 2026, the growing desire to form franchises could be a good one as people lean back on trusted brands and options.
Franchising Running Riot in Entertainment
The way in which massive companies have decided to double down and create a form of franchising in entertainment media speaks volumes to the appeal of the model. After all, entertainment is wholly a luxury product. Customers don’t need to go out and pay to see or experience the latest product from a major brand.
Assuming that fresh and different is risk, the biggest studios and those paying the most to creatives have leant into franchising. Whether it’s adaptations from other media, TV spin-offs, sprawling movie storylines, or all of the above, franchising is currently the in thing and isn’t fading despite the headline brands’ fading in quality.
You don’t have to look far down the cinematic slate to see franchise instalments, or scroll far on a streaming platform to see a spin-off vying to cement a franchise. Now, newer media is being tapped into. The Walking Dead has spread from comics to TV and beyond, with it now being among the brands present when you play slingo.
Here, the ever-present threat of the story, the Walkers, is the main feature of The Walking Dead: LuckyTap. The official game licensed by AMC expands the appeal of the franchise beyond its usual mediums to this distinctly different realm. It’s not the only brand there, either. Gold Rush from Discovery is also amongst the selection.
On the Way to Franchising in 2026
Franchises continue to build and use the considerable leverage built from regular phases of expansion to explore new arenas and become toughened to changes. Expanding domestically and internationally as a brand has long allowed major franchises to tweak the model in new markets and carve out new niches.
This ability to scale and adapt underlines the appeal of the model and the idea that 2026 presents tremendous opportunity. Franchises show confidence in at least holding stable revenue over 2026 despite the recognition of rising costs, trade policy shifts, and global economic slowdowns being looming issues.
Once again in 2026, franchises will see the year shaped by further exploration and application of artificial intelligence. New tools that increase workforce management efficiency will be key to furthering the adaptive qualities of franchising. Where onboarding, scheduling, and routine tasks can be sped up by AI, they will be.
Further enabling nimble progress, higher-level professionals are being brought in on more of a part-time basis. With a quicker injection of expertise to address a certain issue or project directly for its duration looks to make for more cost-effective scaling with, potentially, better decisions being made from the slot-in expert employee.
The franchise model continues to be extremely sturdy and encouraging for business owners at all levels and in all industries. In 2026, the aim will be to continue to grow in an even more efficient and lean way.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
