Key Takeaways:
- Sports licensing reached $44.4 billion in 2025, growing 8.5% — the fastest growth rate of any property category, according to Licensing International’s 2026 Global Licensing Industry Study
- Emerging leagues are building licensing into their core revenue strategy while established franchises cash in on sports betting partnerships, fueling 8.7% growth in casino gaming
- Video games and social media are reshaping how fans discover licensed gear, with gaming revenue up 12.5% and social commerce driving 16% of all online licensed sales
Global sales of licensed merchandise and services climbed to $389.8 billion in 2025, a 5.45% jump according to Licensing International’s newly released 2026 Global Licensing Industry Study. Sports claimed $44.4 billion of that pie — an 11.4% share, its highest ever recorded in the study. No other property category grew faster.
Why Is Sports Licensing Growing Faster Than Every Other Category?
Sports is one of the few monocultures left, and leagues have found new playbooks for turning fandom into revenue. Fans can get licensed merch for every part of their life; it’s no longer just jerseys for gameday but decals, mugs, hats, dress shirts, denim, and any number of other lifestyle opportunities for fans to support their teams. That’s also just looking at the American market.
Established franchises are pushing licensing deals deeper into international markets, treating global expansion as a focus rather than a nice-to-have. Just look at the international push the NFL has made in recent years. MLB and NBA have scheduled international games as well.
This geographic diversification matters. It shields leagues from depending too heavily on any single market while tapping into sports fandom that’s exploding well beyond American strongholds.
Meanwhile, a new wave of sports leagues are rewriting the licensing rulebook entirely.
How Are Emerging Leagues Turning Licensing Into a Revenue Strategy?
Smaller and niche professional leagues used to treat licensing as an afterthought — something bolted on once sponsorship deals were locked in. Not anymore. Emerging leagues now build licensing into their business model from the start, using it as a primary revenue engine rather than a side hustle. It’s a smarter approach, and it’s paying off. It not only brings in extra revenue, but it also deepens new fans’ relationship with teams at a time when many sports outside the traditional leagues are struggling.
Betting platforms are amplifying that shift. The casino gaming product category grew 8.7% in 2025, driven largely by sports betting, according to Licensing International. Professional leagues are striking revenue-sharing licensing deals directly with betting apps, turning wagering interest into a recurring income stream. Five years ago, this barely existed. Now it’s one of the category’s biggest growth drivers.
What’s Driving Fans to Discover and Buy Licensed Products Today?
Video games remain a powerhouse for the entire licensing industry, not just sports. The software, video games, and apps category grew 12.5% in 2025 — the fastest of any product category — as platforms like Roblox and Fortnite streamlined how creators license and monetize branded content. Meanwhile, sports games themselves remain one of the most dominant in the industry, with EA FC and NBA 2K selling millions of copies every year. In 2025, 2K was the No. 2 selling video game overall, not just in the sports category.
Social media has also become an unexpected retail engine right alongside games. For the first time, Licensing International tracked social commerce as its own metric, finding that 16% of all online licensed sales globally now happen through social platforms. Younger fans are discovering jerseys, collectibles, and gameday gear on TikTok and Instagram before they ever set foot near a traditional retailer. That’s forcing brands and leagues to rethink where the first impression actually happens.
What Challenges Will Sports Licensors Need to Navigate Next?
Growth doesn’t come without friction. U.S. tariffs are creating real pricing and sourcing headaches for brands managing global supply chains. The shift to digital also isn’t slowing down — social media’s role in product discovery and sales will only deepen across every age group, not just younger fans.
The message for leagues, brands, and retailers is that while sports licensing is bigger than ever, the playbook has changed. Betting partnerships, video game integrations, and social-first discovery aren’t emerging trends anymore — they’re where the growth is.
(Note: AI assisted in summarizing the key points for this story.)