Hasbro has joined forces with the NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) to release an all-new sports collectibles brand called 'Starting Lineup.' The new label will kick off by offering a range of collectible items tied to iconic basketball players. Additionally, the brand will release its own licensed Panini NBA trading cards.
To support the new launch, Hasbro and the NBA will be offering its new 'Starting Lineup' products through Fanatics, a popular digital sports platform, as well as via Hasbro Pulse and NBA league stores.
"The NBA and NBPA are tremendous partners for the return of the Starting Lineup brand, and we cannot wait for fans to experience some of the biggest names in the league as action figures," said President and COO of Hasbro Eric Nyman.
Digital Sports Collectibles
Hasbro and the NBA Launch New Digital Merch Brand, 'Starting Lineup'
Trend Themes
1. Digital Collectibles - Players can now own high-quality digital collectibles tied to iconic basketball players beyond trading cards or ordinary figurines.
2. Licensed Merchandising - This trend shows that licensed merchandising remains a lucrative market for businesses across industries that associate themselves with popular sports brands.
3. Digitization of Sports Industry - This trend shows the growing intersection between the digital world and the sports industry, which has great potential for innovative business opportunities.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Manufacturing - Toy manufacturing companies can leverage the digitization of collectibles trend to produce digital versions of their highly coveted products.
2. Online Retail - This trend creates a lucrative market for online retail stores to sell sports merchandise including digital sports collectibles.
3. Sports Analytics and VR/AR - This trend shows that the digitization of the sports industry may open up opportunities for sports analytics companies and VR/AR developers to create new business models to offer new experiences over digital merchandising.