SportsCastr Allows Former, Current NFL Players To Contribute Live Commentary, Other Forms of Content

SportsCastr, a live-streaming platform that allows anyone to become a color commentator, announced that the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), via its athlete-driven accelerator the OneTeam Collective, has acquired a minority stake in the company to power live, interactive video content for fans.

Through this partnership, active and former NFL players will use SportsCastr to provide live commentary across a wide range of professional and collegiate sports, share personal insights, and more. ACE Media, the NFLPA’s content and production arm, will collaborate with SportsCastr to produce NFL player and other athlete-driven content featured on the SportsCastr platform.

“SportsCastr enables fans to get authentic, real-time reactions and commentary from all sports fans and now, for the first time at scale, professional athletes,” says Andrew Schupak, CFO and Head of Strategy at SportsCastr. “We’re excited to partner with the NFLPA to accelerate adoption and work together to enhance the fan experience.”

In June, SportsCastr announced FanChain, a cryptocurrency developed for the multi-billion-dollar global sports market. FanChain allows SportsCastr users to earn tokens for participating on the platform, and those tokens can then be used to unlock premium NFL player content (such as back-stage access), purchase sports tickets or merchandise, and send virtual gifts to NFL players. Although SportsCastr is the first platform to support FanChain, the Company is working with teams, media publishers, and leagues to add FanChain support, with the aim of making it the ubiquitous token within the sports industry.

“Fans are looking for new ways to engage with the game of football and us, the athletes. SportsCastr’s live streaming platform is a cool and fun way for fans to add their own voice to games while engaging with players in a different way,” says Vernon Davis of the Washington Redskins, a SportsCastr investor and advisor. “As players we see the value in sharing more of our personalities and unique content with fans and we’re excited about where this live stream tech is headed.”

As part of this agreement, SportsCastr becomes an official licensee of the NFLPA in the categories of mobile apps and web-based platforms that allow users to discuss a variety of sports topics, including through video streams and chats. SportsCastr is the eighth active NFLPA partner secured through the OneTeam Collective, which is designed to give early stage companies the opportunity to leverage the NFLPA’s exclusive group player rights, in exchange for equity.

“Athletes constantly explore ways to build their personal brands and creatively connect with their fans, and SportsCastr’s live-stream capabilities align perfectly with these goals,” says Ricky Medina, Senior Manager of Business Development for NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA. “We look forward to working with the team at SportsCastr to deliver an exciting new way for fans to engage with their favorite athletes while watching the sports they love.”

“In addition to viewing unfiltered live-video straight from their favorite NFL players, fans will be able to interact with them via chat and show their appreciation with sports-themed virtual gifts,” says Kevin April, SportsCastr CEO. “SportsCastr’s partnership with the NFLPA through the OneTeam Collective is a powerful opportunity for fans to connect with athletes in a direct and meaningful way.”

The first NFL players will begin using the platform in the third quarter of 2018.