Sports-licensing e-commerce specialist Fanatics has signed a long-term extension of its NFL rights deal, expanding its online rights and increasing the scope of licensed apparel it can manufacture and sell on NFLShop.com and across Fanatics’ own sites. That include 15 NFL team sites along with Fanatics.com and Fansedge.com. Fanatics has operated NFLShop.com since '06. The new deal, rubber-stamped by NFL owners today at their meeting in Boca Raton, gives Fanatics a clean sweep of recent long-term extensions with the big stick-and-ball leagues.
"There’s a wave of on-demand businesses growing through technology, whether it's music, media, transportation or food," said Fanatics CEO Doug Mack, noting his company’s recent investments in technology and distribution. "Our industry is no different. It’s a world where fans wants more merchandise as quickly as possible and this sets us up to be very agile in delivering that."
Sources said the NFL deal was for more than 10 years and included the NFL taking equity in Fanatics. Neither the NFL nor Fanatics would comment on those deal specifics.
