Fanatics Inc., an American online manufacturer and retailer of licensed sportswear, sports collectibles, trading cards, sports merchandise, and NFTs, is offering something new to its customers. The company announced the launch of the Fanatics Live standalone app that will allow people to shop while the items are on livestream.
The livestream shopping will feature trading cards and collectibles and for this new business, Fanatics hired an executive who previously worked for Snap and Alphabet. According to CNBC, Nick Bell led the Google Search team while with Alphabet and he was the global head of content and partnerships at Snap.
At Fanatics Live, Bell will serve as its chief executive officer. This is the new business unit of the sports platform firm that is also into sports betting and iGaming. It was reported that the company is set to officially launch the livestreaming business in the second half of this year.
“All collectors are fans, but not all fans are collectors,” Bell said in a statement. “We have a big opportunity to really grow the hobby by bringing in people who would not necessarily classify themselves as a collector today and open them up to this hobby by the way of entertainment and a community where they can hang around like-minded people.”
He added, “This is not just about taking a product and selling it but it is about creating this really entertaining format and experience.”
The Fanatics Live CEO further said that one of the areas that they will be focusing on at this early stage of the operation is “breaking” which is a type of social trading card buying that is recently growing in popularity. This is said to be similar to a blind raffle which is a set number of individuals that purchase an entry from a seller called a “spot.” Afterwards, the seller opens an entire case of trading cards live online and distributes them to each one of them.
Bell will be moved to Los Angeles and directly report to Mike Mahan, the CEO of Fanatics Collectibles.


SpaceX Begins IPO Preparations as Wall Street Banks Line Up for Advisory Roles
MetaX IPO Soars as China’s AI Chip Stocks Ignite Investor Frenzy
Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges
Blackstone Leads $400 Million Funding Round in Cyera at $9 Billion Valuation
FDA Says No Black Box Warning Planned for COVID-19 Vaccines Despite Safety Debate
SUPERFORTUNE Launches AI-Powered Mobile App, Expanding Beyond Web3 Into $392 Billion Metaphysics Market
HSBC’s $13.6 Billion Take-Private Offer for Hang Seng Bank Gains Board Backing
Korea Zinc to Build $7.4 Billion Critical Minerals Refinery in Tennessee With U.S. Government Backing
Robinhood Expands Sports Event Contracts With Player Performance Wagers
Biren Technology Targets Hong Kong IPO to Raise $300 Million Amid China’s AI Chip Push
Woolworths Faces Fresh Class Action Over Alleged Underpayments, Shares Slide
Apple Explores India for iPhone Chip Assembly as Manufacturing Push Accelerates
Strategy Retains Nasdaq 100 Spot Amid Growing Scrutiny of Bitcoin Treasury Model
Nomura Expands Alternative Assets Strategy With Focus on Private Debt Acquisitions
Shell M&A Chief Exits After BP Takeover Proposal Rejected
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership
iRobot Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Rising Competition and Tariff Pressures 



