Sportico reports that the WWE has signed a multi-year deal with The Panini Group to make it the officially licensed collectibles company. The deal will begin in the first quarter of 2022.
With the new deal in place, the WWE is leaving Topps as the new deal is in the ‘low-eight figures’ per Sportico. This is three times the average annual value of the WWE’s expiring agreement with Topps.
According to Sportico, the new deal with loftier terms is a result of WWE leverage and the ever-increasing interest in the collectibles market.
The deal is another disappointment for Topps as it recently lost long-time partner MLB to Fanatics.
Payout Perspective:
As identified in the Sportico article, Fanatics is making its footprint in the trading card market with big deals with the NFLPA, NBA, NBAPA, MLB and MLBPA. Fanatics has raised $350M at a $10.4 billion valuation which shows the bullishness of this industry. The WWE leveraged Fanatics kicking in the door of the marketplace into a bigger, albeit shorter-term deal with Panini. The UFC also partners with Panini in the trading-card market and the WWE hopes that the company will help it cultivate the growth of this industry internationally as it has done with the MMA brand.
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