By Eric Fisher , Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal Fanball.com has purchased the fantasy sports assets of F+W Media Inc., further buttressing the fantasy sports presence for the Liberty Media-owned outfit. The cash deal for an undisclosed six-figure sum includes the pioneering, 20-year-old Fantasy Sports Magazine and a live events business led by the high-stakes National Fantasy Football Championships (NFFC) and National Fantasy Baseball Championships (NFBC). "This is an important, strategic deal for us. We really wanted to be in the live events space where we have the chance to be in contact with our fans more," said Fanball.com Senior VP/Marketing & Business Development Ryan Houston. The deal does not include NBC, which last year struck a deal with F+W to co-own and operate the NFFC and NFBC high-stakes events. That pact was discontinued at mutual consent. Greg Ambrosius, NFFC Founder, Fantasy Sports Magazine Editor and former President of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, will continue to work out of his Wisconsin office while Fanball.com operates out of St. Louis. "For what we do, and what Fanball does, it's a perfect match. In fact, it's something we sort of talked about several years ago," Ambrosius said. "So once corporate (leadership at F+W) indicated they were willing to sell, it lined up really well." Fanball.com is the consumer-facing brand for what formerly was CDM Fantasy Sports. Fanball.com, meanwhile, has also partnered with ESPN on a pay-for-play fantasy game geared to more serious players. ESPN has created one of the dominant market positions in the broad free-to-play fantasy space, but the Fanball.com alignment represents part of a resurgence in fee-based fantasy gaming. "We're testing the waters to see what the current appetite for this is, but we're excited to see how their traffic monetizes. If it works, I could see us doing bigger things together," Houston said. The parties will participate in a revenue-sharing agreement around the game.
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| Fanball.com Acquires Fantasy Sports Magazine As Part Of Deal With F+W Media |
