What a goal! OneFootball kicks in $300 million to create new digital fan experiences on blockchain

The fundraise underpins the Berlin-based platform's commitment to real-world fans, taking millions of football supporters from Web2 to Web3
What a goal! OneFootball kicks in $300 million to create new digital fan experiences on blockchain

Germany’s football media platform OneFootball has raised $300 million in funding to support its future global growth and expansion into Web3. The extra cash will drive OneFootball’s investments in Web3, boost platform and user growth, fund further product development and support an expansion of the OTT streaming portfolio.

The Series D round was led by Liberty City Ventures with participation from Animoca Brands, Dapper Labs, DAH Beteiligungs, Quiet Capital, RIT Capital Partners, Senator Investment Group and Alsara Investment Group.

In December 2020, the firm acquired Dugout to reshape the football digital media landscape and form the world's largest owned and operated digital football media business. The acquisition saw Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real and Olympique de Marseille join OneFootball as shareholders. In March 2021, it also welcomed three additional shareholders with the German FA, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur.

Taking another milestone step, the platform wants to offer accessible, affordable, and unique fan experiences that will drive mass adoption of blockchain technology in football. It has rolled out a new joint venture to accelerate its expansion into Web3. The OneFootball Labs2 will enable clubs, leagues, federations and players3 to release digital assets and fan-centric experiences based on blockchain technology. The new joint venture has been formed with Web3 player Animoca Brands and blockchain investment provider Liberty City Ventures and is backed by blockchain venture builder Everest Ventures Group. 

These products will be offered at different price points to make them widely accessible and fans will also be able to purchase and store digital collectibles with just their email and a credit card. 

With more than 100 million monthly active users, OneFootball delivers comprehensive football content from hundreds of leagues and competitions worldwide, including a growing portfolio of free and pay-per-view live streamed football matches leading to more than 15,000 livestreams and on-demand content clips in 2021 alone. 

Lucas von Cranach, founder and CEO, OneFootball said: “OneFootball will take tens of millions of football supporters from Web2 to Web3, while retaining the thing our platform was built on - a commitment to the real-world fan. We believe the future of football away from the stands and off the pitch will be decentralised and built on Web3, giving back the ownership of data and digital assets to the fans. OneFootball and OneFootball Labs will transform the digital experiences for football fans, giving them more access, more ownership and bringing them even closer to the game we all love, in a way that’s never been done before.”

Murtaza Akbar, managing partner, Liberty City Ventures, added: “LCV has a long record of investing in businesses that are creating the Web3 ecosystem, and we are delighted to bring our experience and expertise to the world of football, creating unique value for fans, clubs and players alike.”

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