Quick take:
- Fanatics will re-introduce a new e-commerce platform, WWE Shop.
- Fanatics Collectibles will exclusively provide WWE physical and digital trading cards.
- Candy Digital will become one of WWE’s primary NFT partners.
WWE has announced today a long-term sports and entertainment partnership with global digital sports platform, Fanatics. The platform will create e-commerce and licensed merchandise, as well as physical, digital, and NFT trading cards for WWE fans.
The platforms that will work together to handle the production of different types of merchandise and fan experiences include Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles and Candy Digital.
This summer, Fanatics will re-introduce WWE shop, a new e-commerce platform where fans can shop an array of WWE merchandise across different categories, including apparel and hard goods such as title belts, headwear, accessories and more.
The company will also reserve rights to design, manufacture and distribute “real-time, on-demand merchandise” collections to celebrate iconic WWE moments as well as new and emerging Superstars.
Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles division, will exclusively provide WWE physical and digital trading cards which will bear the Topps logo. Topps previously held a long-term partnership with WWE, and was acquired by the wrestling entertainment company earlier this year. Fanatic Collectibles will begin production of the new trading cards when WWE’s existing trading cards rights expire over the next few years.
Candy Digital will handle WWE’s digital collectibles and NFTs. As one of WWE’s primary partners, Candy Digital’s team of designers, artists and technologists will curate and produce a full range of trading card NFTs featuring WWE’s biggest moments and stars.
“Fanatics is the industry leader and Michael Rubin is a visionary,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “We believe this multi-platform partnership will set a new standard for WWE e-commerce, apparel and merchandise, while providing our fans globally with more ways than ever to engage with WWE and our Superstars.”
“WWE is one of the most widely admired sports and entertainment properties worldwide, and it made perfect sense to activate many parts of our Fanatics global platform to create a first-of-its-kind, all-in fan experience,” added Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. “From e-commerce and licensed merchandise to trading cards and more, we’re going to offer up an incredible set of capabilities to help WWE’s passionate fans worldwide celebrate their favorite Superstars, marquee events and the WWE brand overall.”
WWE joins a growing number of major sports associations and leagues like NBA, NFL, UFC, Premier League and Professional Fighters League in launching licensed NFTs. A Deloitte report predicts that the sports NFT market “will generate $2 billion in transactions in 2022.”
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