Key Takeaways
- Fanatics Studios is a new joint venture between Fanatics and OBB Media, aiming to be the premier global studio for sports entertainment.
- The studio will create, finance, produce, and distribute best-in-class content at the intersection of sports and culture, including feature films, documentaries, and live event specials.
- Fanatics Studios has announced several premium projects and partnerships, including a content partnership with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a flag football tournament, and a docu-series with Tom Brady.
- The studio has also entered into partnerships with ESPN, WWE, and MLB to produce original content and deepen fan engagement.
Introduction to Fanatics Studios
Fanatics, a leading global sports platform, and OBB Media, an award-winning next-gen entertainment studio, have announced the launch of Fanatics Studios, a transformative new joint venture poised to be the premier global studio for sports entertainment. Built to independently create, finance, produce, and distribute best-in-class content at the intersection of sports and culture, Fanatics Studios will launch with a slate spanning feature films and documentaries, unscripted and scripted originals, one-of-a-kind live event specials, premium digital series, and more.
Partnerships and Capabilities
Fanatics Studios brings together industry-leading capabilities, resources, and relationships from both companies, pairing Fanatics’ unmatched reach and impact as one of the most dynamic companies in sports with OBB’s proven ability to drive culture through storytelling and create award-winning content with the biggest names in entertainment. The studio will leverage Fanatics’ roster of thousands of preeminent athletes and sports partners, which span the apparel industry, trading cards and collectibles, sports betting and iGaming, events, and more, to create content that brings fans closer to the teams, players, sports, cultural moments, and events that they love.
Launch Projects and Partnerships
Fanatics Studios is launching with a premium slate of projects and partnerships, including a strategic content partnership with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a first-of-its-kind round-robin tournament featuring three teams of incredible current and legendary football players and world-class athletes, and a multi-part docu-series on Tom Brady. The studio will also produce the 2026 ESPY Awards, join ESPN and Full Day Productions to produce The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One, and enter into an overall partnership with WWE to produce unscripted and digital content, including WWE digital shows and an unscripted culinary series with WWE Superstars Jimmy and Jey Uso.
Leadership and Structure
Fanatics Studios formally combines OBB Sports’ go-forward production business with Fanatics’ existing media partnerships, creating the exclusive entity for all sports-related content for both companies moving forward. OBB Pictures will handle physical production on all Fanatics Studios projects, and Michael D. Ratner will be the CEO of Fanatics Studios while continuing to lead all of OBB Media’s separate businesses. Prior projects from OBB Sports that predate the venture and will remain separate include Cold as Balls with Kevin Hart, Speed Goes Pro with IShowSpeed, and the Peabody and Sports Emmy award-winning Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.
Future Plans and Ambitions
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin expressed his excitement about launching Fanatics Studios and adding an important content and media business to the growing sports platform. Michael D. Ratner, CEO of OBB Media, noted that sports and pop culture are converging at the heart of the global entertainment landscape, and Fanatics Studios is being built to redefine what is possible at that intersection. The studio aims to create content that brings fans closer to the teams, players, sports, cultural moments, and events that they love in a way that’s never been done before. With its premium slate of projects and partnerships, Fanatics Studios is poised to make a significant impact in the sports entertainment industry.
