The Professional Fighters League (PFL) MMA tournament has become the latest sports organisation to secure a partnership with Socios.com, to utilise the firm’s Fan Token products.
Via the use of Fan Tokens, the PFL intends to boost engagement with its audience, as holders of the tokens will be able to participate in polls and contests throughout the league’s regular season, playoffs and championship.
Holders will also have the opportunity to earn fighter bonuses and win merchandise and equipment signed by fighters such as Anthony Pettis, Fabrício Werdum, Rory MacDonald and Kayla Harrison.
Furthermore, fans will be able to use the tokens to earn real-life and digital awards linked to the MMA league – which is unique in the sport in that it organises the sport in a sport-league style format – whilst additional features include a chat, leaderboard and games.
Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL, commented: “As a league at the forefront of technology and innovation, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of fan engagement, providing the 450 million MMA fans worldwide with unprecedented access to the PFL, our fighters, and the action.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Socios.com as they share in our passion for engaging fans in new and cutting-edge ways. We have seen this come to life through their work with iconic global sports properties like FC Barcelona and Juventus, and we look forward to delivering the same experience to MMA fans.”
Additionally, Socios.com will be able to use PFL logos and branding for marketing and advertising campaigns, and the firm’s logo will appear around the cage and arena at live events.
The firm aims to achieve significant brand exposure and recognition as a result of the deal, due to the PFL’s primetime broadcasting slot on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in the US, as well as media rights agreements with a range of premium networks across 160 countries, including a recently signed agreement with Brazil’s Globo.
Socios has plans to significantly expand its Chillz brand internationally in 2021, targeting the launch of Fan Tokens in the UK, Asia and South America. Chillz also recently announced a $50 million US expansion, targeting the five major American sports leagues.
A number of high profile sports organisations already maintain partnerships with Socios.com, including football clubs AC Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint Germain, Manchester City, AS Roma and Barcelona all utilising the Fan Tokens product, in a addition to the PFL’s fellow MMA promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
“We’re excited to partner with the Professional Fighters League, an innovative MMA organisation who share in our belief that the fan experience can be elevated through technology,” added Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO and Founder of Socios.com.
“MMA has experienced explosive global growth, and its fanbase is young, passionate and digitally-savvy. We look forward to creating unique engagement opportunities that will continually set the bar for how leagues and teams interact with fans and vice-versa.”
The PFL is offering its tokens for $2 via Socios.com, and in its first poll is asking MMA enthusiasts to choose the first fight headline of its regular season, commencing on 23 April.
