LAS VEGAS, May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — MILLIONS.co is launching a powerful social e-commerce and fan engagement platform with a focus on combat sports with an expansion into other sports verticals in the near future. The company is co-founded by international sports and entertainment announcer Bruce Buffer, the legendary “Voice Of Mixed Martial Arts” and four entrepreneurs who share a love for sports. Matt Whitteker, a supply chain technology entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of $1B+ Assent Compliance, his brother Scott Whitteker who runs the world’s largest charity boxing event FIGHT FOR THE CURE, Brandon Austin former co-founder of GoFish Cam, as well as e-commerce pioneer and tech investor Adrian Salamunovic who has deep experience in on-demand printing and boot-strapped his previous DTC (Direct-to-consumer) company CanvasPop to 8-figure sales before raising venture capital.
MILLIONS.co enables any athlete to leverage their existing fan base and social media followers to create and control their own revenue streams. Fans will be able to support their favorite athletes, purchase exclusive products, access private WatchStream™ (interactive video streaming) and AMAs (Ask Me Anything) all from one page, creating a ‘viral social commerce loop’. With an initial focus on combat sports, MILLIONS.co will be looking to extend partnership opportunities to established and rising stars within popular team sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL and eventually international sports such as golf, soccer and cricket.
Combat sports is one of the largest and fastest growing sports categories in the world. Just under half (48 percent) of Americans ages 12 and older are fans of fighting sports. While the top 1% of star athletes like Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are earning millions of dollars per year, the average pro boxer earns only $35,000 a year and even for a UFC fighter the median income is just $68,000 per year.
Many fighters are dedicating their lives and risking their health to entertain fans yet earn less than the average American.
Similar to how top tier fighters like Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have their own e-commerce merchandise brands and stores, TMT and August McGregor, the MILLIONS.co platform will allow any pro combat athlete to essentially do the same. Each store will be fighter-owned but operated in partnership with the MILLIONS.co network with the majority of the profits going to the fighter.
The 2021 Sports Industry Outlook from Deloitte says, “Sports leagues and athletes also should move beyond traditional broadcasts and start interacting directly with their fans. For example, they should encourage their athletes to become increasingly active on social media year-round to maximize fan engagement and monetization opportunities.”
A Fan Experience survey from Deloitte also uncovered that over 60% of fans agree that having a “year-round experience” would make them feel more engaged with their team in future seasons, and a further 55% said that they would be more likely to purchase tickets to said events.
According to MILLIONS.co’s data, the average top 100 boxer has over 500,000 followers on Instagram and the top 300 boxers have over 40,000 followers each. The majority of the profits will go directly to the fighter with the difference going to the platform to cover printing, fulfillment and operational costs.
“Our mission is singular, we want to make fighters more money, help them connect directly with their fans and allow them to focus on their sport while we take care of everything else,” says Matt Whitteker, CEO of MILLIONS.co. “It’s a win-win for the fighters and for millions of sport fans around the world. We’re going to help disrupt the way athletes and fans connect in a very positive way.”
“The professional sports industry is rapidly changing,” says Bruce Buffer, MILLIONS.co co-founder, “What athletes need now is a radical shift, to take back control of their careers and their relationship with fans all over the world. I think MILLIONS.co is the platform that we’ve all been waiting for.”
“I make way more money sitting at home posting pictures on Instagram than I do fighting,” says Page VanZant, a UFC and BKF fighter who has 2.3 million Instagram followers. “The thing with fighting is you never know how long you have in the career. I could get hurt and never fight again. It’s all about setting yourself up for the successes outside of the cage as well.”
The website has launched with over 100 pro combat athletes including Albert “The Prince” Bell, MMA fighter Bryce Mitchell, Undefeated Pro boxer Chris Colbert, top 10 in the world Welterweight Custio Clayton and Floyd Mayweather’s recently signed fighter, Jalil Hackett. Each athlete is promoting their stores on their Instagram accounts, now fans and fighters can visit MILLIONS.co to connect directly with the athletes, purchase merchandise, custom shoutouts and sign up for future announcements.
About MILLIONS.co
MILLIONS.co (http://www.MILLIONS.co) is a powerful end-to-end social e-commerce platform for professional boxers and MMA fighters to sell custom branded merchandise and connect with millions of combat fans around the world. MILLIONS.co combines the power of social media and e-commerce on a single platform to empower athletes to connect on a deeper level with their fans while creating new, lucrative revenue channels.
Media Contact
Adrian Salamunovic, MILLIONS.co, +1 (613) 266-9815, adrian@millions.co
SOURCE MILLIONS.co
