This press release can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking below. Last updated: 6/10/2026
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NEW YORK, NY — June 9, 2026 — Today, MLB Players, Inc. announced the launch of “MLB Players Studio,” a new content platform designed to serve as the umbrella for original programming, talent, and brand partnerships across MLB Players, Inc.’s growing business initiatives.
As part of this new entertainment project, MLB Players Studio has tapped award-winning content company Portal A, to develop and produce a slate of original series that will be distributed across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok via MLB Players, Inc. and athlete-owned channels.
The launch marks a significant step in MLB Players, Inc.’s expansion into content and creator-driven media, helping facilitate partnerships between players and brands looking to tap into the global reach of baseball.Image
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen our players take ownership over their story and their audience like never before,” said Evan Kaplan, president of MLB Players, Inc. “This move allows us to amplify what our players are already doing and take it to the next level, by creating opportunities for brands to use content across multiple player channels.”
To bring this idea to life, MLB Players, Inc. tapped Portal A, the content company that works with brands to create original social content and has been a pioneer in the recent athletes-as-creators movement. Its previous partnerships include Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Carmelo Anthony. Most recently, Portal A partnered with American tennis phenom Ben Shelton on the release of his real-time YouTube documentary, “The Long Game.”
“The power in sports media is shifting towards the players, as athletes are owning their audience like never before,” said Nate Houghteling, co-founder of Portal A, “We’re thrilled to work with MLB Players, Inc. to connect MLB players directly with fans through authentic storytelling and original formats.”
The slate from Players Studio includes a variety of original series concepts featuring MLB players and optimized for social distribution. The following concepts are in early development:
CATCHING UP – a comedian-hosted interview series built around long toss with a player
SET UP MAN – a prank series that goes behind the scenes of real dugout hijinks
6TH TOOL SESSIONS – a format exploring players’ off-the-field hobbies, from woodworking to Pokemon
LORE DROP – a made-for-TikTok oral history of the most unforgettable off-the-field moments in MLB history
MLB Players, Inc. and Portal A are set to unveil more details on the slate and take these series to market starting in the back half of 2026.
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ABOUT MLB PLAYERS, INC.
MLB Players, Inc. is the business arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association. The Major League Baseball Players Association is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the 30 Major League Baseball teams. MLB Players, Inc. serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for all commercial business interests and licensing activities involving active Major League and Minor League Baseball players. Follow @MLBPA on Instagram and X.
ABOUT PORTAL A
Portal A is an award-winning social content company partnering with the world’s leading brands, platforms, and creators. Portal A works with global brands such as Google, YouTube, Target, Toyota, Clorox, Lego, GM, and Lenovo and has been named Agency of the Year by the Streamy Awards, Best Video Agency by Digiday, Best Brand Entertainment Agency by Campaign, and Top 20 Content Creators by Adweek. Its previous athlete partnerships include Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Odell Beckham Jr., Anthony Edwards and Ben Shelton. In 2019, Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse entered into a strategic partnership with Portal A, acquiring a minority stake in the company.
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