EBay, Notable Live partner on NFTs, experiences for sports fans

Dive Brief:

EBay is backing another platform in hopes of attracting sports and NFT enthusiasts. The company has entered into a strategic partnership with Notable Live, a digital experience platform, according to a Tuesday press release. EBay Ventures, the e-commerce giant’s venture capital fund, invested an undisclosed sum into Notable Live in a Series A round.
As part of the collaboration, Notable Live will also bring non-fungible tokens, exclusive athlete merchandise and other experiences to eBay, the company said.
Both companies have partnered to create the Inside the Game series, where customers can access items that players like Ray Lewis and others have worn during games, access digital artwork available only to eBay’s customer base or take part in other live experiences.

Dive Insight:

EBay is diving deeper into the digital and physical collectibles business. For the e-commerce company, the partnership with Notable Live offers the retail platform the ability to connect live experiences with shopping collectibles, the company noted.

“Fans and collectors turn to eBay to celebrate their favorite players and teams, knowing they can find authentic, one-of-a-kind memorabilia that connects them with the history and future of sports,” Dawn Block, vice president of collectibles at eBay, said in a statement. “Our partnership with Notable Live further enhances the market-leading experiences we’ve been building for our community of sports fans, collectors and investors, enabling them to engage with living legends in a new and meaningful way.”

EBay has been enhancing its offerings for sports fans in recent years. About a year ago, the e-commerce company launched its authenticity guarantee program for trading cards. As part of the initiative, the company will authenticate cards sold for $750 or more in the U.S. to start, but it plans to offer the service for graded, autograph and patch cards sold for $250 and up, according to a company press release.

The e-commerce giant has also been making key acquisitions to enhance its digital collectibles business. Last June, the company bought KnownOrigin, an NFT marketplace where artists and collectors can buy, make and sell NFTs, for an undisclosed sum. Later that summer, the company agreed to buy TCGplayer, a collectibles company, for about $295 million, in a deal expected to close sometime this year.