Global sports retail and e-commerce giant Fanatics has officially launched Fanatics Live, a new live-shopping platform that is basically a 21st-century Home Shopping Network for sports collectibles and merchandise.
The new platform mixes creator content, sports, and media partnerships with live shopping—all in an app. Starting today, Fanatics Live is available in North America on Apple devices, with web and Android support coming later this year. The content will initially feature trading card “breaks,” limited-edition merchandise and collectibles drops, and on-location streams featuring high-profile athletes and entertainers.
Fanatics hired former Snap and Google executive Nick Bell in February to lead the new business division. At the time, Bell told Fast Company that he saw an opportunity to re-create old-school hobby-shop communities in an online environment.
“If you look at the global sports-trading-card market, it’s $44 billion, and expected to be nearing $100 billion by 2027,” said Bell. “And it’s not just the size of the market, but the core principle behind it, which is the intersection of passion and community. So this is going to be a place where people go not just to discover and be entertained, but also to buy new products while engaging with like-minded people.”
Fanatics Live is already working with a range of partners, from individual creators and brands to sports leagues. The new app debuted on-field at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Weekend in Seattle earlier this month.
The new platform also has the advantage of being a part of a $31 billion sports commerce juggernaut, so it will also be teaming with existing Fanatics businesses to create what the company calls “immersive content and commerce opportunities,” including Fanatics Authentic, its autograph and memorabilia division, Topps and Lids, as well as existing partnerships across the Fanatics’ portfolio.
