Sports media brand Overtime has expanded its reach by partnering with brands like BAPE, Snapchat and Paramount, and built an e-commerce business that will exceed eight figures in annual sales by 2023.
Overtime, led by chief brand and commercial officer Tyler Rutstein, began selling products targeted at its core customers, Gen Z and millennial sports fans, in 2019.
The media company made its name streaming high school sports on video before moving to producing its own programming and running its own sports leagues. Like other media companies, it has expanded into merchandise, selling hoodies, T-shirts, joggers, shorts and compression tights. Overtime is expected to bring in an estimated $100 million in revenue this year, mostly from advertising, e-commerce sales and sports rights fees.
Rutstein, who worked at Adidas and Reebok before Overtime, said the company differentiates its products by focusing on quality.
“When we first started, we said we weren’t going to be a media company that just sells products,” Rutstein told Business Insider. “We were going to be very particular about the quality of our products and our packaging.”
Tyler Rutstein is Overtime’s Chief Brand Officer and Commercial Officer. over time
For example, Overtime’s e-commerce orders come with an athlete authentication card with a QR code that accesses the company’s online shop. The card has become a status symbol of sorts; some customers wear it on their body or attach it to their backpacks or clothing, Rutstein said.
Overtime has partnered with brands like Paramount and Snapchat to grow its audience.
Rutstein said partnerships have played a big role in the brand’s growth and evolution.
For example, Overtime is teaming up with Paramount to release a major collection in July to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob Squarepants. The collaboration will include hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, and more. Overtime said the deal came about because Paramount was attracted to Overtime’s innovative approach to apparel and its ability to reach Gen Z and millennials.
“Obviously, through partnerships, we’ve been able to expand our customer base to include traditional streetwear brands and heritage brands,” Rutstein says. “They like to add a new twist, and we’re always putting a new twist on things.”
A man wearing a cream-colored overtime shirt. over time
Overtime has also partnered with social media app Snapchat to give fans the ability to try on virtual Overtime gear and change their Bitmoji, their personal avatar in the app. Overtime recently released its second Bitmoji drop, and the company said 42 million Snapchat users have tried on Bitmoji apparel so far.
Other brands Overtime has worked with include Japanese clothing brand BAPE, underwear and sportswear maker PSD Underwear, convenience store chain 7-Eleven and Billionaire Boys Club, the fashion label founded by singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams.
A man wearing a green Overtime hoodie is standing in front of a 7-Eleven. over time
Overtime’s trendy products have proven popular among Gen Z and millennial customers, with the company saying that 83% of the brand’s fans are under the age of 35.
“We have a staple hoodie, and I consider it my new varsity jacket to wear in the hallways of the high school,” Rutstein said. “It’s kind of symbolic… I’m an athlete.”
The company sells merchandise through textbooks, TikTok, etc.
In addition to partnerships, Overtime is expanding by listening to the needs of its audience on social media, such as a demand for compression shirts seen in direct messages and comments.
“We’ve only recently branched out into performance apparel, but people have been asking and pleading for us to make compression shirts for basketball for a long time,” Rutstein said. “We’ve only recently branched out into this space, but it’s been a big part of our growth and expansion.”
Another strategy Overtime employs to boost sales is meeting customers where they are, whether through text messaging or social media. Rutstein says text messaging is a particularly effective strategy for reaching out to customers. Overtime texts customers with the latest product information and surveys.
“No matter where our customers are reaching out to us, we need to be able to solve and answer their questions,” Rutstein said. “We want that experience to be seamless and delivered through our voice.”
Rutstein said Overtime releases products every month, with each release having a different look.
“It always looks different,” he says. “Sometimes we just put out a product, sometimes we do a big campaign with editorial images of athletes, sometimes we put out just TikTok or via SMS.”
