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FTX buys Super Bowl ad slot to promote crypto to a TV audience of 92M

FTX exchange will advertise for the first time during the Super Bowl LVI to reach mainstream football fans.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has secured an advertisement spot in one of the most watched events in America — the championship game of the National Football League, to be held in Feb. 2022

According to a report in Bloomberg, FTX purchased an ad in this year’s Super Bowl LVI motivated by the wide reach of the audience.

The Super Bowl is invariably the top rating TV program of the year, and accounts for 28 of the 30 highest rating broadcasts in U.S. TV history.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX exchange, has made football one of the priorities within a marketing strategy that focuses on sports as the fastest growing customer base for crypto adoption. He said:

“There is no bigger, more mainstream event to share a message like that than the Super Bowl.@

Although the content of the ad or how much FTX paid hasn’t been disclosed, NBC’s going price for an ad at next year’s Super Bowl is $6.5 million. The price of a 30-second ad at the 2021 event was $5.5 million.

The previous event engaged an average television audience of about 92 million viewers.

This year’s Super Bowl in February, saw a shift in advertisers as brands including Hyundai, Pepsi, Coke, and Budweiser opted out, leaving room for newer players that thrived during the pandemic and became first time advertisers a the Super Bowl LV.

Some of those include fast casual and delivery services (Chipotle, DoorDash), e-commerce (Vroom), services for job seekers (Indeed, Fiverr), and even home improvement brands (Scotts Miracle-Gro, Hellmann’s). With crypto seeing a huge surge of interest as people began to work from home during the pandemic, it’s only fitting that a crypto exchange join the line up for the forthcoming event.

Related: FTX crypto exchange raises $420M from 69 investors

In June, FTX secured a long term partnership with Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen that included an equity stake in the company and payment in crypto for their services, including the TV ad below.

FTX also became the official sponsor of Major League Baseball in June and in March arranged to name the Miami Heat’s home stadium the FTX Arena for the next 19 years.

During last week's Miami Heat season opener game, the international crypto exchange gave every spectator in one section of FTX Arena $500 in crypto.

Coinbase has also followed FTX steps into sport related sponsorships with a multi-year partnership agreement with the NBA and WNBA as the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner.

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NFL quarterback Tom Brady gives fan 1 BTC for his historic 600th-touchdown-pass ball

The GOAT rewarded a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan after wide receiver Mike Evans mistakenly handed him the ball following the historic touchdown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady nearly lost ownership of the ball behind his 600th touchdown pass, but now he’s paying for it… in Bitcoin.

In an Oct. 24 game between the Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, Brady threw his 600th career touchdown pass to fellow teammate Mike Evans — he is the only player in NFL history to have ever achieved so many touchdown passes in his career. The wide receiver, apparently not realizing the significance of the ball, handed it off to Byron Kennedy, a fan wearing a jersey with Evans’ namesake.

According to Ken Goldin, the founder of sports memorabilia auction company Goldin Auctions, the ball could be worth anywhere from $500,000 to $900,000. Kennedy at first seemed to give up the ball in exchange on a vague promise of a meet and greet with the quarterback. However, Brady later revealed on Monday Night Football that he had offered the fan 1 Bitcoin (BTC) — roughly $62,081 at the time of publication — as thanks for quickly handing it over. 

“There were a lot of negotiations in order to get the ball back,” said Brady. “Byron realized he lost all of his leverage once he gave the ball away [...] I’m also giving him a Bitcoin. That is pretty cool, too. At the end of the day, I think he is still making out pretty.”

According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud, the Buccaneers have also agreed to give Kennedy 2 signed team jerseys, a helmet with Brady’s autograph, Mike Evans game cleats, a jersey signed by the wide receiver, season tickets for the rest of the year and through 2022, as well as a $1,000 credit towards purchases at the team’s store. Even with some experts predicting the BTC price is likely to rise, many online pointed out the value of Kennedy’s compensation did not come close to that of the historic football.

“I would have gone for season tickets for life,” said investigative reporter David Amelotti.

Related: Football-focused NFT platform plans to kick off in style, with some big names

Brady is one of many crypto-friendly professional athletes. He launched his own nonfungible token platform called Autograph — where he plans to auction the 600th touchdown ball as an NFT — and received tokens as part of an endorsement deal with crypto exchange FTX.

Sony’s Soneium Might Be the Answer to Mass Web3 Adoption

Green Bay Packers Running Back Aaron Jones Joins Crypto Exchange FTX’s Ambassador Team

Green Bay Packers Running Back Aaron Jones Joins Crypto Exchange FTX’s Ambassador TeamOn Tuesday, the crypto firm FTX Trading Ltd, announced that the Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones has joined the company as an FTX Ambassador in a long-term partnership. The collaboration with the NFL player follows the firm’s partnership with seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen. FTX Inks Long-Term […]

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Sorare scores $680M funding led by SoftBank to grow its NFT sport portfolio

Sorare attained a $4.3 billion valuation with a Series B funding round led by the Tokyo-based holding company.

Sorare, a marketplace for nonfungible token (NFT) trading cards, has raised $680 million in a Series B funding round led by Japanese fintech giant SoftBank, resulting in a revised valuation of $4.3 billion for the platform. According to the company, the latest funding will help expand Sorare’s portfolio of football player NFTs by partnering with more football leagues and associations.

In early September, the French NFT-based trading platform secured its first soccer league partnership with La Liga in addition to having NFT collaborations with PSG, Liverpool and other top-tier soccer teams. Sorare also plans to diversify its NFT-based portfolio offerings to other fantasy sports.

Existing investors and high-profile business angels participated in the funding, including Benchmark, Accel and Headline. New investors include Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, D1 Capital, Eurazeo, IVP and LionTree.

In July, SoftBank had led a $532 million funding round for Sorare. However, Sorare CEO Nicolas Julia denied the funding claims, which was initially fueled by insider information.

Related: NFL reportedly bans teams from crypto advertisements and NFT sales

Although the football community has readily accepted the NFT marketplace, the United States National Football League (NFL) has recently barred teams and members from participating in NFTs or any other form of crypto-related partnerships.

An anonymous NFL member said that the new guidelines prohibit clubs from selling, promoting and advertising blockchain and digital assets in any form until further notice.

In addition, mainstream fintechs such as Visa have described NFTs as a promising medium for fan engagement as the market registered $2.5 billion in sales during the first half of 2021.

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NFL reportedly bans teams from crypto advertisements and NFTS sales

The NFL has reportedly restricted cryptocurrency and NFTs until the league establishes a strategy “for sports digital trading cards and art.”

The United States National Football League (NFL) has reportedly barred all teams and members from crypto-related sponsorships and advertisements, as well as nonfungible token (NFT) sales. 

According to a report by The Athletic, the NFL has restricted the sale of sponsorships to cryptocurrency trading firms and NFTs until the league establishes a strategy “for sports digital trading cards and art.” The new guidelines were shared by an anonymous NFL member familiar with the matter:

“Clubs are prohibited from selling, or otherwise allowing within club controlled media, advertisements for specific cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, other cryptocurrency sales or any other media category as it relates to blockchain, digital asset or as blockchain company, except as outlined in this policy.”

Going against the NFT and token sales trends from mainstream soccer teams such as PSV Eindhoven, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as the National Basketball Association, the NFL has ruled out creating or selling team NFTs, at least for now.

The NFL official reportedly said that teams would only be allowed to discuss sponsorship deals with crypto-related “investment advisory and or fund management services” if their advertising sponsorship rights are limited to promoting the company’s corporate brands.

The NFL did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.

Related: NFL’s Saquon Barkley converting endorsements to BTC to create ‘generational wealth’

Legendary footballer Lionel Messi, tennis star Naomi Osaka and others sports stars have previously shown interest in crypto investments. On July 15, NFL star Saquon Barkley shared his intent to convert his endorsement payments into Bitcoin (BTC).

Barkley cited inflation as one of the main reasons why one cannot save wealth. “That’s why I am going to be taking my marketing money in Bitcoin,” he said.

Sony’s Soneium Might Be the Answer to Mass Web3 Adoption

Crypto.com partners with Italian football’s Lega Serie A

The platform has already signed partnership agreements with the UFC and Formula 1 this year.

Digital asset exchange platform Crypto.com will be prominently featured in football matches during Italy’s Lega Serie A competition as part of a partnership with the league.

In a Thursday announcement, Lega Serie A said Crypto.com was going to be presenting key broadcast moments for the Italian football competition “where technology enhances the match.” Specifically, the platform has formed a multi-year partnership to help present the series’ “goal of the month,” as well as broadcast moments using video playback to judge fouls and whether goals are legitimate.

Crypto.com sponsored Lega Serie A in the Coppa Italia football cup in May, when it launched a nonfungible token, or NFT, offering for the event. The exchange said it planned to release more collections of NFTs as a result of the new partnership.

According to Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo, the aim is “to bring fans closer through technology and innovation.” He hinted the league would be revealing more commercial and marketing initiatives in the coming months to encourage fan engagement.

Related: Crypto.com deploys its Ethereum Virtual Machine chain testnet

Crypto and blockchain firms have made a rapid expansion into sports this year as many exchanges have announced partnerships with amateur and professional teams. In July, Crypto.com announced a 10-year $175-million partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, allowing its brand to appear on gear and clothing. The platform has also inked a deal with Formula 1 as the racing series’ official cryptocurrency sponsor and NFT partner.

Sony’s Soneium Might Be the Answer to Mass Web3 Adoption

Major Dutch Football Club PSV Hodls Bitcoin — Sponsorship to Be Paid Entirely in BTC

Major Dutch Football Club PSV Hodls Bitcoin — Sponsorship to Be Paid Entirely in BTCMajor Dutch football club PSV has signed a partnership deal with a crypto exchange and its sponsorship will be paid entirely in bitcoin. “PSV is the first club in the EU to receive the sponsorship amount in crypto,” said the football club. PSV Professional Football Club Will ‘Hodl’ Bitcoin Major Dutch football club PSV, also […]

Sony’s Soneium Might Be the Answer to Mass Web3 Adoption

PSV Eindhoven soccer club to accept new sponsorship deal in Bitcoin

Anycoin Direct is now an official partner of PSV for the next two seasons, helping grow awareness of crypto across Europe.

The football ecosystem has stepped up its adoption game as more clubs continue to involve crypto in mainstream operations. 

Netherland-based top tier football club PSV Eindhoven has partnered with a local crypto trading platform, Anycoin Direct, which will pay the club an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin (BTC) in a new sponsorship deal.

According to the official statement, Anycoin Direct will remain an official partner of PSV for the next two seasons, with the goal of growing awareness of crypto across Europe.

By using the crypto platform’s services, PSV will be able to receive the total sponsorship amount in Bitcoin, making it the first major football club in the EU to get paid sponsorship in cryptocurrency.

PSV Eindhoven commercial director Frans Janssen reportedly created the Bitcoin wallets for accepting the sponsorships after the deal was signed off. Supporting the move, he said, “As a club in the heart of the Brainport region, we are always innovating, cryptocurrency fits well into this picture.”

Earlier this year in April, PSV experimented with nonfungible tokens (NFT) by auctioning a digital version of 1988 European Cup 1, which it had won against Benfica in the finals. To signify the importance of the win for the club, the NFT token was also accompanied by an official certificate signed by Hans van Breukelen, the goalkeeper responsible for the European Cup 1 trophy.

Related: Arsenal FC to launch AFC Fan Token on Socios

Out of all the use cases that crypto offers, football clubs are placing bets on fan tokens. Some of the recent federations to take part in this experiment are Arsenal and Manchester City, both in partnership with a fan engagement platform Socios.

Arsenal’s intent behind launching the AFC fan token is to allow its global fanbase to participate in club decisions via online polls and improve fan engagement. Similarly, Manchester City’s CITY fan token will allow fans access to rewards, promotions and club decisions via polls. Both the fan tokens will be powered by Socios’ Chiliz blockchain and its in-house CHZ token.

Sony’s Soneium Might Be the Answer to Mass Web3 Adoption