Fanatics expands into sports entertainment with new studio venture

The venture is majority-controlled by Fanatics with an equity split described as close to 50-50. The company expects the studio to record nine-figure revenue in its first year of operation, according to sources familiar with the matter. 

Fanatic Studio´s content slate spans Olympics to Tom Brady

Fanatics Studios launches with an extensive content pipeline anchored by partnerships with major sports properties. The studio secured the rights to produce the official film for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, set for theatrical release. Additional marquee projects include producing the 2026 ESPY Awards alongside ESPN and Full Day Productions, and a multi-part documentary series following Tom Brady titled “One More Drive.”

The Tom Brady content connects to the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a round-robin tournament (where each team plays against every other team at least once) broadcast live on Fox in March from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring Brady’s return from retirement for his flag football debut. The event positions Fanatics at the intersection of athlete marketing, live sports programming and merchandise opportunities – a strategy that leverages the company’s existing relationships with athletes who hold equity stakes in various Fanatics businesses.

The studio also announced partnerships with WWE for unscripted and digital content, MLB for a 2026 World Baseball Classic docuseries produced with Box To Box Films, and ESPN for committed programming hours across 2026 and 2027.

Business model builds on existing partnerships

The relationship between Fanatics and OBB grew from one-off social media content creation to the June 2024 Fanatics Fest collaboration, where OBB produced social content and an all-access special sold to ESPN. 

Ratner stressed the studio would maintain editorial independence despite brand relationships: “We’re not looking to just make puff pieces and glorified commercials for people. We’re looking to tell real stories.” The challenge will be balancing access to sports properties – many of which are Fanatics equity holders or commercial partners – with maintaining content credibility.

Sports media competitive landscape in the US and beyond

The entertainment studio launch positions Fanatics against both traditional sports media companies and brand-owned content operations. ESPN, with which Fanatics now partners, remains dominant in sports media rights and production. Streaming platforms including Netflix, Apple and Amazon have aggressively expanded sports content, with Netflix recently securing WWE rights and NFL Christmas games.

Among sporting goods companies, Nike operates Nike Studios, while Dick’s Sporting Goods launched DSG Productions. The distinction for Fanatics lies in its integrated platform model – using content to drive commerce, collectibles and betting engagement across a database of more than 100 million sports fans.

The venture also signals continued convergence between sports, entertainment and commerce. Athletes increasingly operate as brands and content creators, while sports properties seek maximum monetization across media rights, merchandise and direct fan engagement. Fanatics Studios aims to capture value across this entire ecosystem by producing content, selling related merchandise, offering collectibles tied to featured athletes and events, and potentially integrating betting opportunities.

The bottom line

Sports, entertainment, and commerce are converging. Athletes increasingly operate as brands and content creators, while sports properties seek maximum monetization across media rights, merchandise, and direct fan engagement. Fanatics Studios aims to capture value across this entire ecosystem by producing content, selling related merchandise, offering collectibles tied to featured athletes and events, and potentially integrating betting opportunities.