Ticketmaster and Fanatics Team Up to Sell Sports Apparel, Tickets 

(Bloomberg) -- Ticketmaster and Fanatics, two companies well-known to sports fans, are linking their online marketing efforts, utilizing their trove of data to sell tickets and apparel to sports fans across the country.

Starting Monday, fans will be able to buy sports tickets through embedded links at Fanatics.com, plus the hundreds of league and team sites that Fanatics operates, according to the companies. Every purchase from Ticketmaster will come with $3 to spend in the Fanatics network.

The partnership pairs the world’s largest ticket seller with the world’s biggest merchant of officially licensed sports apparel -- and the rationale is simple. If you’re buying a Boston Red Sox hat, you might also want tickets when the defending World Series champions come to town.

The companies will share some customer data, allowing Ticketmaster, which is part of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., to target fans who have purchased from Fanatics and vice versa. The partnership should help both companies as they seek to expand their relationships with leagues and teams throughout the sports world.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience while simultaneously adding value to our partners,” Ticketmaster President Jared Smith said in a statement. “Partnering with Fanatics in this way is the definition of a win-win for us, for Fanatics, for our common rights holders and for fans.”

In the future, the two could expand the partnership, meaning tickets may come with the immediate option to tack on two jerseys at check-out.

Ticketmaster is the official ticketing partner of the NFL, NBA, NHL, College Football Playoffs, PGA Tour and dozens of pro and college teams. Fanatics is an official licensee of all four major U.S. sports leagues, and operates the online stores for hundreds of sports properties.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York at enovywilliam@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum

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