- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,193,887
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
As live shopping and breaking dominate the sports card industry, Fanatics Collect is carving out a space where the only thing being offered is pure content.
On Monday, June 22, the digital marketplace will officially debut Collect Originals, a first-of-its-kind programming initiative that brings 24 prominent hobby creators directly to the app for live, podcast-style broadcasts. The catch? There is absolutely zero focus on selling product.
Fanatics Collect is pivoting to entertainment and education, offering a mix of live-streamed and pre-taped “live-premiered” shows. The pilot program will run for an initial three-month trial period before Fanatics evaluates it as a permanent long-term fixture.
The Starting Lineup
The initial slate features some of the most recognizable voices in the hobby, spanning athlete interviews, live negotiations, and market analysis.
Headline shows include:
One of One: Hosted by Chris Costa, this interview-style show dives into the personal collections of athletes and celebrities. Costa’s inaugural guest, premiering Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, is Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
Keeping Up with the Kards: Premiering Monday at 8 p.m. ET, KingoftheKards will host live, on-stream negotiations with fans who submit their cards for the show, offering a transparent look into the art of the deal.
Raw Recap: WWE Now: A Fanatics & WWE Original Production, hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant break down Monday Night Raw while chatting with WWE Superstars, celebrities, and athletes in a live-premiered format.
For the Love of the Hobby: Mojo Sports will explore the hobby each week through the lens of culture, storytelling, and community, bringing his experiences from card shops and live events to the digital stage.
Jarchomp Live: Jarchomp Collectibles leverages his experience as a TCG vendor to bring market insights directly to fans in a highly interactive format every week.
Trike Talks Cards: Trike Cards breaks down the current market using insights gathered directly from the card show floor to help collectors understand the complexities of the hobby.
Why the Pivot? The Brand-as-Media Play
The decision to launch a non-transactional content network points to a broader macroeconomic trend: to survive the current attention economy, modern brands are essentially forced to become media companies. With an overwhelming amount of daily hobby content competing for collectors’ eyes on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, Fanatics needs to capture that top-of-funnel attention directly inside its own walls to remain the central hub of the space.
By building an ecosystem of entertainment, these new programming blocks give Fanatics a powerful organic marketing arm. Instead of running traditional, interruptive advertisements, they can seamlessly showcase their ecosystem, upcoming releases, and app features through trusted community creators, shifting the app experience from a utility to a destination.
“Fanatics is recognizing that the future of collectibles is not just marketplace-driven, it’s media-driven,” says Nick Cicero, CEO of Mondo Metrics, a social intelligence platform for brands, sports, and media companies.
Cicero notes that because every subculture and niche interest group now has its own unique creators, language, rituals, and content habits, collecting has become the perfect environment for this strategy.
“The card itself may be the asset, but the content around it is what creates attention, trust and repeat engagement,” Cicero explains. “By bringing creators, live shows and storytelling into the app, Fanatics is giving fans a reason to spend time there even when they’re not actively buying or selling.”
A New Era for the Platform
The launch of Collect Originals represents a massive shift in how Fanatics engages with its user base. By creating a dedicated space for community and storytelling, the platform is attempting to keep collectors active and engaged even when they aren’t actively buying or bidding on inventory.
If the three-month pilot proves successful, expect to see the roster of creators, and the scope of the content, expand significantly as Fanatics continues to build out its all-encompassing sports ecosystem.
Continue reading...
