Key Takeaways
- WSC Studios is producing animated digital programming for pre-teen audiences in partnership with ESPN, the NBA, La Liga and the Australian Football League.
- A Victor Wembanyama episode of the NBA’s “Alley & Oop Show” reached nearly 740,000 YouTube views, per Sports Business Journal.
- Per a 2024 Playfly Sports and Vision Insights study, 71% of the NBA’s most loyal fans chose a team by age 12.
- WSC Studios services price from five to seven figures, with a revenue-share option, and rights holders retain the IP.
WSC Sports has launched WSC Studios, a new division producing animated youth sports content for pre-teen audiences, Sports Business Journal reported on October 26, 2026. The company, best known for its automated highlight software, is partnering with ESPN, the NBA, La Liga and the Australian Football League on programming aimed at fans younger than Gen Z. Itai Epstein, WSC Sports’ vice president of new ventures, is leading the division.
Why Are Rights Holders Targeting Fans Under 12?
The division exists because of a problem Epstein described to Sports Business Journal as one of the most pressing strategic challenges rights holders face: building the next generation of fans.
The data behind that urgency is specific. A 2023 Two Circles study found that nearly half of global sports fans began following or registering interest in sports by age 14, per the SBJ report. A 2024 study from Playfly Sports and Vision Insights found that 71% of the NBA’s most loyal fan segment became a fan of an NBA team by age 12.
For youth sports operators, the implication is familiar. Team allegiance forms during the same years kids are registering for leagues, attending camps and picking up their first jerseys. The major properties are now investing directly in that window rather than waiting for fans to age into their content.
Inside the NBA’s Alley & Oop Experiment
The NBA has been WSC’s proof of concept. For the past year, before WSC Studios was publicly announced, the league and WSC collaborated on “The Alley & Oop Show,” an animated series starring two young basketball fans and a bird sidekick named Buzzer. The show mixes character-driven storylines with educational segments on current players and team history, distributed through YouTube, the NBA app and NBA.com.
Early episodes, which the league used for testing and optimization, generally drew high-four to low-five figure YouTube view counts, according to the report. Then an episode about Victor Wembanyama spiked to nearly 740,000 views.
Bob Carney, the NBA’s senior vice president of digital and social content, told SBJ that generative AI has changed the economics of a category that was historically hard to fund because animation was slow and expensive to produce.
Human-Led Production, Five-to-Seven-Figure Pricing
WSC Studios is staffed by roughly 20 people across scriptwriting, design, motion art, animation and video editing, per the report. Gili Dolev, an Emmy-nominated director whose credits include “CoComelon” and “Nella the Princess Knight,” serves as creative production director.
AI tools support the team in motion animation, language translation and voice cloning derived from contracted human voice actors. Epstein told SBJ the workflow lets WSC Studios take a content series from ideation through production in two to three months, and he drew a hard line between AI-assisted production and AI-generated content, comparing the tools to CGI’s arrival at Pixar.
The commercial model: services price from five to seven figures depending on scope, WSC also offers a revenue share on downstream income, and rights holder partners keep the intellectual property.
Making a Cartoon Bird Named Buzzer a Household Name
That IP structure is where the long-term value sits. Carney told SBJ the league wants Alley, Oop and Buzzer to become household names it can deploy across business lines, citing merchandise, video game integrations, the NBA’s creator program and activations with the league’s official marketing partners.
The characters already livestream from a phone within the show, a built-in bridge to creator-style distribution. With ESPN, La Liga and the AFL now running their own WSC Studios programs, the next question is which property turns a two-to-three-month animated series into a licensing line first.
Source: Sports Business Journal, October 26, 2026, https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/10/26/wsc-sports-leans-into-kids-focused-creative-with-wsc-studios/
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
