Panini America, WNBA players association ink record licensing deal!

Panini America and the WNBA players’ association have agreed to a new licensing deal, the largest on record for a women’s sports rightsholder!

The new agreement, which amounts to an extension between the partners, extends Panini America’s exclusive licensing deal for WNBA collectibles, including trading cards, and rewards the players with increased revenue generated by the sale of collectibles across Prizm, Donruss, Select and National Treasures, along with Panini Instant and its digital platform. A source confirmed to ESPN that Panini’s previous trading card deal with the players’ association included revenue sharing via royalties on sales, and the new deal includes a bigger share of the sales.

The women’s sports collectibles market has seen unprecedented growth over the past several years, spurred by WNBA stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

“This renewal is about the players and the power of what we’ve built together,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement. “Panini has been with us as we’ve pushed the women’s game forward and their products show the reach and impact of our players in ways that feel real.”

This deal is solely between Panini and the WNBA players’ association; the league’s deal with Panini is still active and unaffected by this extension. The WNBPA is in negotiations for a new CBA with the WNBA ahead of a deadline that has been extended to Nov. 30.

“Collaborating with the WNBPA has shown how strong this market can be, and we are excited to keep innovating and expanding our product offerings for fans and collectors everywhere,” Panini America CEO Mark Warsop said in a statement.

 

Trace ‘N Chase is a proud Authorized Retailer for Panini America & Panini Authentics products, carries a wide lineup of trading cards and will happily offer more WNBA licensed products when they become available!

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