Team Baby scores major licensing deals

Houston Business Journal
July 11, 2006

Children's sports production company Team Baby Entertainment has secured licensing agreements with top professional leagues in a move planned to fuel the company's expansion plans.

While details were not disclosed, the Houston company has entered into deals with the National Basketball Association, NASCAR Images, and Major League Baseball Productions to develop additional Team Baby titles over the next few years.

Team Baby Entertainment has also expanded its partnership with Collegiate Images and will be adding a host of additional NCAA titles from high-profile colleges and universities.

The company has also solidified creative plans for upcoming releases, which will include a new storyline from celebrated children's sports author Jim Buckley, original music from the award-winning Joe McDermott, and the introduction of animated "Team Babies" created by Active Imagination.

At the same time that the creative plans are being upgraded, the narration is as well. Television personality Regis Philbin, an alumni of Notre Dame who named Team Baby's "Baby Irish" as one of his favorite gifts of the 2005 holiday season, has been slated to do the narration on "Baby Irish Vol. 2." Team Baby is currently discussing similar opportunities with other celebrities who have expressed interest in narrating DVDs that feature their favorite team.

These plans follow the announcement only a few weeks ago that Michael Eisner's The Tornante Co. had acquired Team Baby Entertainment. The licensing deals and the upgrade to the creative content are a central part of the company's strategy to maximize the national presence and entertainment appeal of the Team Baby brand.