UAE, Abu Dhabi: STARZPLAY, one of the leading video-on-demand subscription services in the region, has launched STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports, the first free-to-play Web 3.0 fantasy sports game in MENA.
STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports, launched ahead of the new 2023/24 SERIE A season, will be exclusively available on STARZPLAY Sports. Players can make predictions around live Serie A matches and other regional leagues, from forecasting scores and possession percentages to identifying the first goal scorer via in-game arenas, in order to win fantastic prizes.
The game adds a new dimension to watching live matches on STARZPLAY Sports allowing users to immerse themselves in the excitement of SERIE A and regional football. Players are challenged to use their strategic skills and draw on their football knowledge to win prizes, compete with friends and climb up weekly, monthly, and all-time leaderboards.
STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports awards users real prizes including STARZ$, the in-game currency which can be used to buy NFTs and in future redeemed for vouchers, STARZPLAY subscriptions, SERIE A and football merchandise (t-shirts, match-balls, etc.) and “money can’t buy experiences” such as SERIE A match tickets and meet-and-greet experiences with beloved football heroes starting with the upcoming 2024 Supercoppa Italiana finals in Riyadh. Prizes will also be offered to players by third-party sponsors, opening a new commercial avenue and a unique way for advertisers to reach online gaming and sports fans on a Web 3.0 platform.
While the game is completely free-to-play, players can buy and trade NFTs in a real time marketplace to create their own special team and boost their predictive performance.
Alessandro Masaro, Chief Strategy Officer at STARZPLAY “STARZPLAY’s success in MENA has been underpinned by a never-ending pursuit of innovation. STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports is the first-of-its-kind blockchain service in the region which will give customers a new dimension to engage with sports while competing to win incredible prizes. Our goal is to make STARZPLAY a hub for sports entertainment and provide users and rights’ holders with more opportunities to interact and build stronger and more valuable relationships. We believe this is the first step of a larger plan which will see STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports expand into other leagues and sports in the near future.”
The launch of STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports marks a significant leap forward in the realm of fantasy sports by utilising the most innovative Web 3.0 and blockchain technology. STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports is a responsive HTML5 game running over the Skale Network. The game will be hosted in Amazon AWS as a serverless infrastructure in order to support the peak of users and provide a high-performance and high-quality experience during matches.
STARZPLAY continues to lead the way in offering unique and engaging content to its audience. With the launch of STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports and coupled with thousands of hours of premium content including the best western content, Arabic shows, Turkish favourites, anime, and live sports, STARZPLAY is fast solidifying its position as a leading multi-faceted entertainment hub.
STARZPLAY and STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports are available in 19 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Fans can start playing STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports now at https://games.starzplay.com/.
About STARZPLAY:
Ranked consistently among the region’s top three subscription video on demand services, STARZPLAY (http://www.starzplay.com) streams an extensive variety of premium content covering Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries and same-time-as-the-US series – plus live sports, dedicated kids’ entertainment and Arabic content – to 19 countries across MENA and Pakistan.
STARZPLAY has thousands of prime titles including exclusive STARZPLAY Arabia original content such as Kaboos, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, Baghdad Central, STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen as well as a range of content with add-ons such as AD Sports, Premier Sports (Rugby), NBA League Pass and STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie leagues), wrestling (All Elite Wrestling), cricket, UFC Arabia, boxing, basketball and more.
STARZPLAY Arabia has secured tie-ups with a host of leading, global studios, including Lionsgate, MGM, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery and Sony Studios along with regional producers such as UMS, Eagle Films and Falcon. Until 2022, STARZ (http://www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) was the lead investor along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Investors and Delta Partners. In early 2021, STARZPLAY Arabia secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. In 2022, E-Vision, from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company acquired a majority equity stake of circa 57% in the company.
Reaching over 2.9 million subscribers, STARZPLAY Arabia allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on over three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.
