Dolphin Entertainment and West Realm Shire Services – the owners and operators of FTX.US – have partnered to launch a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace for ‘major sports and entertainment brands’, according to Variety.
The report added that Dolphin will develop and execute the creative branding, production and marketing of these programs alongside FTX, which will use its crypto exchange services and technical development as the backbone of the marketplaces.
Together, the two entities will develop and programme global NFT marketplaces targeting brands within the sports, film, television, music, gaming, esports, culinary, lifestyle and charity industries.
“Buying NFTs today is clunky,” noted Bill O’Dowd, CEO of Dolphin Entertainment. “To be able to offer a seamless user experience, where the wallet and the product are all in one place; to allow the consumer to pay with crypto, credit card or traditional currency; to have the product available on wholly-owned and programmed online destinations; to have the same product available for purchase directly in app; and to also have actual customer support, when necessary, are enormous differentiating factors that FTX provides.
“Combined with Dolphin’s unparalleled access and relationships across the film, television, music, gaming, esports, culinary and sports industries, our joint offerings are distinct from the rest of the market and, most importantly, immediately put NFTs on a level playing field with all other consumer products available for purchase online.”
Described as ‘large-scale’ and ‘consumer-facing, the marketplace aims to ‘combine Dolphin’s creative and marketing prowess with FTX’s knowledge of crypto currencies’.
The move comes as many major teams, leagues and athletes explore the world of digital collectibles and NFTs, capitalising the ability to monetise their fanbases.
“Dolphin’s reach and scale across all of pop culture is very impressive to us,” said Brett Harrison, President of FTX.US. “We are excited to build marketplaces with Dolphin, both because of their ability to access content and IP, but also because they are leaders in public relations and influencer marketing for every major vertical of entertainment. With that said, there are several items on the horizon that we can’t wait to launch together.”
