Fanatics Studios Partners With NBC and NBA All-Star Game Content

Fanatics Studios is set to play ball with the NBA and NBC.

The studio, a joint venture between Fanatics (founded by Michael Rubin) and OBB (founded by Michael D. Ratner), has been named creative and event production partner for the NBA All-Star Game. The multiyear deal tips off in 2027 in Phoenix, Arizona, with Fanatics Studios developing in-arena events, competitions and original content connected to the weekend.

The studio will work with the NBA and media rightsholder NBC Sports through the deal, working on production and developing new event programming.

“NBA All-Star is one of those moments where sports and culture collide, and getting to work with the NBA, the players and NBC Sports on what comes next is incredibly exciting,” said Ratner. “There’s already so much about the weekend that fans love. Our job is to build on that, take some big swings and bring new ideas into the mix. This announcement is just the beginning, and we’re so excited for everything ahead.”

Fanatics Studios of course has already built some event bona fides thanks to Fanatics Fest, where the top NBA players (and NFL players, and MLB players, and celebrities) congregate each summer in New York. Now the company will bring some of that magic (and social content) to the NBA All-Star Game.

“NBA All-Star is an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary talent of our NBA players and bring fans together around the game,” said Gregg Winik, president of content & executive producer for the NBA. “We look forward to building on what fans love about NBA All-Star while finding new ways to evolve the experience with Fanatics Studios.”

“Last season demonstrated the power of bringing NBA All-Star back to NBC Sports, with fans responding in a big way and driving significant growth in viewership for the event,” said Sam Flood executive producer & President of Production for NBC Sports. “Together with the NBA and Fanatics Studios, we’re excited to build on that success.”

Fanatics has had its eye on Hollywood for some time, and Fanatics Studios is its biggest bet in the space yet. The company has a deal with ESPN to help produce the ESPY Awards, and is working on a slew of docs and event content for numerous buyers, with Ratner touting the studio’s robust content pipeline.

Rubin told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this summer that content can serve as a connective tissue of sorts across his company, which can reasonably be defined as Sports Inc.

“When you look at the gambling business, the collectibles business, the commerce slash fan gear business, you look at it based on what we can do better for the fan?” Rubin said, contrasting those cores to the nascent media business. “This is really about strategically building our brand and everything we’re doing, whether it’s the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, whether it’s co-producing the ESPYs … they’re all highly strategic to Fanatics, both in the partners we work with and the athletes we work with.”