Boston Celtics basketball team joins fan token platform Socios

July 7, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Basketball

Tokenizing professional sports players and franchises seems to be a competitive game among blockchain firms.

Socios, the blockchain-based platform responsible for tokenizing many popular sports franchises, has said the Boston Celtics basketball team will be joining its roster.

In a Wednesday announcement from the National Basketball Association, Socios said it will have a significant presence on the Celtics’ website. Though the platform did not specifically mention it would be tokenizing players for digital collectibles, it will be using Celtics’ logos for international marketing.

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios and blockchain-based sports platform Chiliz, said this partnership with an NBA team could lead to “enhanced fan engagement for fans of the Celtics,” perhaps hinting basketball fans might see tokens for the team as the platform develops. The Celtics have been a major force in the NBA, having won 17 world championships, the most recent one in 2008.

Tokenizing professional sports players and franchises seems to be a competitive game among blockchain firms as companies continue to announce similar partnerships.

NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils have already joined Socios. The platform has said it will launch fan tokens for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Formula 1 racing teams Aston Martin Cognizant and Alfa Romeo Racing on the Chiliz blockchain. However, Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot has the backing of prominent basketball players including Michael Jordan, Alex Caruso, and Kevin Durant.

Last week, the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers announced a sponsorship program with blockchain company StormX, which would reportedly have players wear the firm’s logo on their jerseys for the next five years.

Socios partners with Turkish soccer club union to explore digital revenue models

July 1, 2021 Coin Telegraph

alex

Turkey’s union of soccer clubs partners with Socios to improve fan engagement in the Turkish Süper Lig through technology and innovation.

The soccer world continues to seek out new revenue models amid the coronavirus pandemic, which saw the suspension of league matches in some countries, and new partnerships form to find sustainable answers in the digital space.

Representing soccer clubs playing in the Süper Lig, Turkey’s primary soccer league, the Turkish Union of Clubs has partnered with fan engagement platform Socios.com to promote innovation in the country’s soccer landscape, according to a July 1 announcement.

“Few countries in the world match the unique passion that Turks feel for the game of football,” Socios and Chiliz CEO Alex Dreyfus told Cointelegraph:

“This partnership will benefit the entire Turkish football ecosystem in a critical moment for the industry, in which it is crucial for sports properties to shift their fans’ role from passive to active.”

Socios already launched fan tokens for six Turkish soccer teams playing across different leagues. Along with over 40 global sports organizations, Turkey’s Alanyaspor, Bursaspor, Galatasaray, Göztepe, İstanbul Başakşehir and Trabzonspor are using fan tokens and Socios’ voting and reward app to engage and monetize their fans.

The new partnership makes the sports-focused blockchain company the fan engagement partner of the Union of Clubs. Socios will help the union to apply new technologies to Turkish professional clubs to improve fan engagement, generate new revenue models and increase financial sustainability.

As part of the deal, the Union of Clubs and Socios.com will co-host a number of workshops and seminars to engage the industry’s main players in conversations around the latest trends affecting the business of football, the announcement reads.

Ticket sales and streaming deals account for a big part of revenue for the soccer industry. Since the games are either suspended for a period of time or played without a full audience in most leagues during the pandemic, clubs are in need of fresh business models. Clubs see fan tokens as a strategic move to enhance their digital presence and stay closer to fans.

Portuguese national football team launches fan token with Socios

June 24, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Business

The platform reported the sales of all its fan tokens have generated more $150 million this year.

Blockchain-based sports platform Chiliz has partnered with the Portuguese Football Federation to release fan tokens on Socios.

In a Thursday announcement from Socios, the platform said it will be dropping tokens for the Portugal national football team, also known as A Seleção or “The Selection,” within the next few days for local fans. As with previously tokenized sports franchises, the digital collectibles are minted on the Chiliz blockchain and allow token holders to vote in polls and earn VIP rewards.

“The launch of the $POR Fan Token will allow us to create new ways of reaching our supporters and interact with them in new and innovative ways.” said Portuguese Football Federation’s chief marketing officer Nuno Moura. “This will create new opportunities to engage fans with the Portuguese Team like never before, providing them with exclusive benefits, experiences and rewards.”

While Chiliz through Socios has formed partnerships with major names in sports to release fan tokens, crypto and blockchain firms are apparently vying to sign licensing agreements with sports franchises across Europe and the world. Earlier this month, the French Football Federation announced it would be launching official player nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, with blockchain-based fantasy soccer game Sorare.

In the US, both the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team and National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils have entered similar partnerships with Socios. The platform reported the sales of all fan tokens have generated more $150 million this year.

NBA 76ers joins fan token platform Socios

June 17, 2021 Coin Telegraph

76ers

The platform has previously partnered with an NHL team as well as the UFC, but this is the first time an NBA franchise will integrate its branding.

Socios, the blockchain-based platform responsible for tokenizing many popular sports franchises, has said the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team will be joining its roster.

In a Thursday announcement from Socios, the platform said as part of the partnership the 76ers, or the Sixers, will integrate branding from the fan token site across the physical and digital space. Socios will appear on screens in the team’s home venue, the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, as well as on its website and social media.

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios and blockchain-based sports platform Chiliz, said this was the first time the platform had partnered with a National Basketball Association franchise. He hinted basketball fans might see fan tokens for the Sixers as part of the firm’s goal of “transitioning passive fans into active fans.”

In addition to the NBA team, the NHL's New Jersey Devils announced a similar marketing partnership with Socios in April. The platform has said it will launch fan tokens for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Formula 1 racing teams Aston Martin Cognizant and Alfa Romeo Racing on the Chiliz blockchain.

While Chiliz through Socios has formed partnerships with major names in sports to release fan tokens, Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot has the backing of prominent basketball players including Michael Jordan, Alex Caruso, and Kevin Durant. As of March, the digital collectible platform had reportedly grossed $483 million in sales with more than 802,000 users.

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