Players Era
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Players Era firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Players Era
- Legal name
- Players Era
- Website
- https://playersera.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Players Era industry classification
Industry- Product category
- College Sports Tournament Organization
- NAICS
- Spectator Sports (71121)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Collegiate & Scholastic Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)
Keywords
Where Players Era is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Players Era business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Television Broadcasting Rights: Multi-year broadcast agreement with ESPN for exclusive rights to air all tournament games across ESPN networks. Previously aired on TNT Sports.
- Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena venues in Las Vegas.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship revenue from brands seeking exposure during tournament events and broadcast coverage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | NIL compensation for participating teams |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Players Era product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Players Era organizes NIL-driven college basketball tournaments and athlete engagement events, primarily held at premium Las Vegas venues (MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena). The core offering includes the Men's Championship (8-team, 18-team, and 2026 24-team formats), the inaugural Women's Championship, a Volleyball Showcase, and the international Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome, with participating schools receiving guaranteed NIL compensation averaging at least $1 million per team and national broadcast exposure through ESPN.
Product overview
Players Era operates a portfolio of college sports tournaments and events, primarily focused on basketball (men's and women's) while expanding into volleyball. The core offering consists of the Players Era Men's Championship (2025: 18 teams; 2026: 24 teams across Players Era Eight and Players Era Sixteen) and the Players Era Women's Championship (inaugural 2025), both held in Las Vegas with guaranteed $1 million NIL payments per participating school. Additional offerings include the Players Era Volleyball Showcase and the Eternal City Tip-Off (international basketball event in Rome). The original 2024 Players Era Festival served as the debut event before the portfolio expanded.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Players Era Men's Championship The main men's college basketball tournament held in Las Vegas, featuring 18 teams in 2025 and expanding to 24 teams across two events in 2026, with guaranteed $1 million NIL payments per participating school and national broadcast exposure on ESPN.
Quantifiable outcome
- Viewership doubled year-over-year to 322,000 average viewers with 1.1 million peak for championship game
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Players Era
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Players Era technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Players Era partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- ESPNflagshipMulti-year broadcast agreement making ESPN the exclusive media rights partner for Players Era Men's Championships. ESPN Events collaborates with EverWonder on tournament operations. All 37 games of the 2026 event to air across ESPN networks. This replaces the previous two-year partnership with TNT Sports.
- ACC and SEC Conferences (Discussions)minorPlayers Era reportedly offered a 15% stake to all power conferences before signing with the Big 12. ACC and SEC were reportedly more receptive than the Big Ten. Indicates potential future expansion of equity partnerships.
- Big 12 ConferencecoreFive-year equity partnership (2026-2030) where Big 12 takes equity stake in Players Era. Eight top Big 12 teams receive automatic entry. Players Era committed at least $50 million in rights fees to Big 12 programs over the six-year period. First-of-its-kind partnership for collegiate athletics.
- MGM Resorts InternationalcoreFounding host partner for the Players Era Festival. MGM Grand Garden Arena hosted inaugural 2024 championship. MGM provides world-class venue, hospitality, and entertainment infrastructure in Las Vegas. Described as treating teams and fans with high-level service.
- TNT Sports (Previous)minorPrevious broadcast partner for the first two years of Players Era tournaments. The tournament moved to ESPN for 2026 and beyond. Players Era CEO thanked TNT Sports for their role in launching the event.
- EverWonder StudioflagshipParent company and co-founder of Players Era. Led by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Ian Orefice (former President of TIME and TIME Studios) and backed by RedBird IMI and Jeff Zucker (former President of NBCUniversal, CNN, and Turner Sports). EverWonder CEO Ian Orefice is tournament co-founder.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Players Era competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Learfield (Learfield IMG College): College athletics multimedia rights and sponsorship company that holds long-term rights deals with universities and conferences across the NCAA. Broad incumbent relevant to Players Era's sponsorship and NIL-related revenue infrastructure.
- ESPN Events: Disney/ESPN-owned division that operates multiple early-season college basketball MTEs including Champions Classic, Charleston Classic, and Diamond Head Classic. A broader incumbent that now sits on the other side of the table from Players Era as its exclusive 2026 broadcast partner while still running competing events.
Direct peers
- Battle 4 Atlantis: Paradise Island, Bahamas-based early-season MTE featuring top college basketball programs during Thanksgiving week. Directly comparable to Players Era as a destination tournament format competing for the same pool of elite NCAA basketball teams and broadcast inventory.
- Maui Invitational: The premier early-season Division I men's college basketball multi-team event held annually in Lahaina, Hawaii. Directly comparable to Players Era as a Thanksgiving-week destination MTE attracting elite programs; Players Era explicitly cites it as the legacy competitor it differentiates against via NIL payments.
- NIT Season Tip-Off: Long-running early-season college basketball event operated by the NCAA featuring top Division I programs in a multi-game format. Directly comparable to Players Era's tournament structure and competing for the same Thanksgiving-week television inventory.
- Diamond Head Classic: ESPN Events-operated early-season college basketball tournament held in Honolulu during the holiday season. Comparable destination MTE structure competing for the same elite-program pool and broadcast windows as Players Era.
- Champions Classic: ESPN-operated annual early-season college basketball event featuring Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, and Michigan State. Directly comparable to Players Era as a marquee early-season basketball showcase; now owned/operated by Players Era's broadcast partner.
- Wooden Legacy: Multi-team college basketball tournament held in Anaheim, California during Thanksgiving weekend featuring Division I programs. Comparable destination-MTE format targeting the same elite-program pool and broadcast windows as Players Era.
- Fort Myers Tip-Off: Thanksgiving-week Division I college basketball multi-team event held in Fort Myers, Florida. Comparable destination-MTE format competing for elite programs and holiday-week broadcast inventory.
- CBS Sports Classic: Early-season college basketball event typically featuring matchups between elite programs from major conferences. Comparable as a premium early-season basketball showcase competing for top-tier team commitments and national broadcast windows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Players Era social profiles
Digital presencePlayers Era financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Players Era leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Players Era funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Players Era M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Players Era
What does Players Era do?
Players Era organizes NIL-driven college basketball tournaments and athlete engagement events, primarily held at premium Las Vegas venues (MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena). The core offering includes the Men's Championship (8-team, 18-team, and 2026 24-team formats), the inaugural Women's Championship, a Volleyball Showcase, and the international Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome, with participating schools receiving guaranteed NIL compensation averaging at least $1 million per team and national broadcast exposure through ESPN.
Is Players Era a public or private company?
Players Era is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Players Era founded?
Players Era was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Players Era based?
Players Era is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Players Era make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Television Broadcasting Rights are the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales and sponsorships.
Who are Players Era's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Learfield (Learfield IMG College) and ESPN Events. Direct peers are Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, NIT Season Tip-Off, Diamond Head Classic, Champions Classic, Wooden Legacy, Fort Myers Tip-Off and CBS Sports Classic.
Does Players Era have an API?
No public API is recorded for Players Era.
What industry is Players Era in?
Players Era's product category is College Sports Tournament Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKADAG, Collegiate & Scholastic Tournament Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support). Its NAICS code is 71121 and its SIC code is 7900.