WWE and FOX Entertainment and Bento Box's Entertainment Blockchain Creative Labs to Launch NFT Marketplace for Digital WWE Collectibles
Exclusive Multi-Year Partnership Represents Blockchain Creative Labs’ First Third-Party Collaboration
Los Angeles, CA(27 Oct 2021)
WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Blockchain Creative Labs, the new non-fungible token (NFT) business and creative studio formed by FOX Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment, today announced an exclusive multi-year agreement to launch an NFT marketplace for licensed digital WWE tokens and collectibles. The partnership marks Blockchain Creative Labs’ first-ever content alliance with an external property beyond FOX.
In collaboration with Blockchain Creative Labs, WWE will create authentic NFTs that celebrate the company’s entire catalog of digital assets, including its most iconic moments, past and present WWE Superstars and premier events, such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Powered by Eluvio’s eco-friendly blockchain technology, the marketplace will serve as a hub for consumers to purchase, trade, sell and store digital tokens that will be authenticated through Eluvio’s blockchain and will be interoperable across Ethereum and other blockchains. The marketplace’s name and launch date will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Blockchain Creative Labs has quickly become a leader in the space with an incredible executive team that truly understands the NFT arena and its tremendous potential,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. “This new partnership allows us to deepen our relationship with FOX, as we continue to explore new and creative ways to engage our passionate fanbase.”
“Blockchain Creative Labs is excited to partner with WWE in launching its official NFT ecosystem. We know WWE’s passionate fan community will love owning authentic digital goods across the organization’s creative universe -- from past and present stars to classic, culture-defining moments,” said Scott Greenberg, CEO of Blockchain Creative Labs and Co-Founder/CEO of Bento Box Entertainment. “Our NFT studio is all about enabling fans to own NFTs and tokens that carry utility and social clout directly from the creators and brands they are passionate about, spanning animation, sports, shows and movies to music, books, art, pop culture and every other Web3-powered media asset you can possibly imagine.”
To participate in the WWE NFT marketplace, fans create a secure and easy-to-use WWE digital wallet through Eluvio that acts as a vault and enables consumers to purchase collectibles using traditional currency or cryptocurrency.
Today’s announcement represents the second partnership between WWE and FOX. In October 2019, FOX Sports began to broadcast “Friday Night SmackDown,” which airs 52 weeks a year, live in primetime from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, and will play an important role in promoting the marketplace to WWE fans.
Earlier this year, FOX Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment entered the NFT business with the formation of Blockchain Creative Labs and a $100 million creator fund to identify growth opportunities in the space. In addition to the WWE NFT Marketplace, Blockchain Creative Labs recently launched “The MaskVerse” for FOX’s “The Masked Singer,” and will also launch a dedicated digital Marketplace for Emmy Award-winning creator Dan Harmon’s upcoming animated comedy, KRAPOPOLIS, marking the first animated series to be curated entirely on the blockchain
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 900 million homes worldwide in 28 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. The Company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN CREATIVE LABS
Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL), a new business and creative studio formed in 2021 by FOX Entertainment and its Emmy Award-winning animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment, provides content creators, IP owners and advertising partners end-to-end blockchain computer ecosystem solutions to build, launch, manage and sell Non-Fungible Token (NFT) content and experiences, and fungible tokens, as well as digital goods and assets. BCL also manages a $100 million creator fund, established by FOX Entertainment and Bento Box, which identifies growth opportunities in the NFT space. In August of 2021, Fox Corporation made a strategic investment in Eluvio, a global pioneer for managing, distributing and monetizing premium content via blockchain, that will provide the underlying technology platform for BCL.