Fanatics retail media network: how Fanatics Advertising works and how to buy it

Fanatics is not a general store. It runs official shops for leagues, teams and colleges, such as the NFL Shop and NBA Shop, and owns Topps trading cards and Lids (Beet.TV, 8 March 2026). Its data therefore says less about what a household eats and more about who it supports. Fanatics calls this layer FanGraph: a record of each customer's "definitive league team and athlete affiliation", in CRO Jeremi Gorman's words. A supermarket network sells purchase intent in a category. Fanatics sells fan identity.

That changes who buys. On a grocery retail media network, most advertisers are suppliers whose products sit on the shelf. Fanatics stocks mainly licensed fan gear, so its pitch leans to non-endemic brands: a car maker, a beer brand or a phone carrier that wants Dallas Cowboys fans. In 2022 Fanatics already described its data as useful for "not just sports brands" (The Current, 7 December 2022). The commerce media vs retail media comparison explains where such hybrids sit.

Second, the division spans more than retail. Its remit covers commerce, collectibles, live card breaks, events and the betting and gaming business (Fanatics, 26 August 2025). Fanatics has not published which of those data sets feed which ad products. Brands in regulated categories should ask before they buy.

Third, the offer is young and sales-led. The current division dates from August 2025, and its leader previously ran advertising at Netflix and Snap after years at Amazon (Fanatics, 26 August 2025). Fanatics publishes no self-serve tool. Buyers should expect a sponsorship-style sales process more than a dashboard.

Onsite. Sponsored listing ads place products in prominent spots across Fanatics stores while fans shop (Fanatics vendor solutions). The Fanatics App adds placements next to live scores and free-to-play games. Package inserts put a printed offer in orders after purchase.

Offsite. Fanatics sells programmatic display, video and CTV built on its audiences. The Fanatics Advertising Network and the Sports Video Network were due to debut with the 2025 NFL season, placing video near sports programming (Fanatics, 26 August 2025). Paid social on Facebook and Instagram and dedicated emails are sold to vendors. The offsite retail media explainer covers how audiences travel to other sites.

Events and content. Fanatics Fest sponsorships and Fanatics Originals shows round out the offer. Gorman said about 250,000 people were expected at Fanatics Fest in New York (company claim, Beet.TV).

Targeting uses purchase history from Fanatics stores and the fan affiliations in FanGraph. One example from 2022: a long-time Denver Nuggets fan who starts buying baby onesies becomes reachable as a young NBA parent (The Current). Offsite, brands activate Fanatics data through partners including Snowflake and Magnite, and earlier through The Trade Desk.

Fanatics has not published what advertisers receive, how long data is retained, or whether a clean room is standard.

Fanatics says its offsite products offer "brand safety and measurement mechanisms" (Fanatics vendor solutions). It does not describe the method, the attribution window or any third-party verification. Because most non-endemic advertisers do not sell on Fanatics, closed-loop measurement against Fanatics sales will not apply to them. Ask for a lift study or a matched-market test instead.

1. Decide which side you are on. Brands that sell on Fanatics sites use the vendor solutions; other brands go to the main Fanatics Advertising team.
2. Contact sales. Fanatics lists Askfanaticsads@fanatics.com for new advertisers.
3. Pick the fan segment first. Define teams, leagues or athletes before choosing formats, since affiliation is the core data.
4. Combine one onsite and one offsite format. For example, sponsored listings for a licensed product plus CTV near game coverage.
5. Agree measurement and data use in writing. Confirm the method, which Fanatics businesses supply data, and what reports you receive.

It suits:

• brands that sell licensed or sports products on Fanatics stores;
• non-endemic advertisers that target fans of specific teams or athletes;
• sponsors that want media, events and content in one deal.

It suits less:

• advertisers that need a self-serve tool or public API;
• performance buyers that require closed-loop sales proof;
• categories that cannot appear near betting content without strict controls.

• The headquarters city of the advertising division and of Fanatics as a whole.
• Advertising revenue, rate cards and minimum spend.
• Whether FAN and SVN launched with the NFL season as planned (Fanatics, 26 August 2025), and their inventory sources.
• The measurement method and any verification partner.
• Which Fanatics businesses, including betting, contribute data to targeting.

1. Fanatics, "Fanatics Launches New Advertising Division Led by Industry Veteran Jeremi Gorman" (26 August 2025). https://www.fanaticsinc.com/press-releases/fanatics-launches-new-advertising-division-led-by-industry-veteran-jeremi-gorman
2. Fanatics, "Fanatics Advertising Brand Solutions" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.fanaticsinc.com/fanatics-advertising-brand-solutions
3. Fanatics, "Vendor Brand Solutions" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.fanaticsinc.com/vendor-brand-solutions
4. Fanatics, "About Fanatics" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.fanaticsinc.com/about-fanatics
5. Beet.TV, "Jeremi Gorman of Fanatics Advertising Says the Business Is Bigger Than Your Closet" (8 March 2026). https://www.beet.tv/2026/03/jeremi-gorman-of-fanatics-advertising-says-the-business-is-bigger-than-your-closet.html
6. The Current, "Fanatics steps into the retail data arena" (7 December 2022). https://www.thecurrent.com/articles/fanatics-retail-data-sports-ecommerce