On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated announced the launch of its native NFT ticketing platform, “Box Office” via its ticketing site, SI Tickets.

Having first launched in June 2021, SI Tickets by Sports Illustrated prioritizes the fan experience, charging zero-dollar ($0 USD) transaction fees on any purchase, while guaranteeing a 100 percent refund if an event is canceled – for any reason.

With over $2.5 billion USD of inventory and more than 50 million tickets to over 250,000 sports, concerts and theater productions, SI Tickets is now taking its event management to the next level with the creation of a global platform that combines digital collectibles for events of any size that exist alongside traditional, non-NFT tickets. 

Box Office, which will serve as the primary ticketing solution, is built in partnership with ConsenSys (not CoinDesk’s Consensus) and powered by Polygon’s blockchain technology. 

Unlike traditional ticketing platforms consumers regularly interact with, Box Office, according to SI Tickets, will deliver a “seamless, turnkey experience” that gives owners, event organizers, and hosts the ability to create, manage, and promote a fully scalable live sporting event – paid or free ticketed that is entirely fueled by the SI Tickets platform.

The platform will also open up an avenue for loyalty benefits, exclusive offers, and event highlights that help fans unlock more personalized experiences between event hosts and attendees before, during, and after the event. 

“From the moment we launched our global event marketplace, which now boasts 50 million tickets to over 250,000 sports, concerts and shows, we have been preparing to enter and disrupt the primary ticket market,” said David Lane, CEO, SI Tickets. 

Lane also stated his belief that blockchain technology is the future of ticketing, where owners, promoters, hosts, and attendees can have access to a more advanced ticketing experience that takes consumers beyond the “antiquated barcode” into engaging, collectible content.

“The existing self-service event management sites haven’t evolved fast enough, as they can only list events and provide software to scan a barcode,” continued Lane. “With Box Office, games, shows and conferences of all sizes can now achieve a superior and more cost-effective solution that includes unmatched visibility on a global marketplace, no hardware costs, free credits for their attendees and Sports Illustrated Tickets as their partner.”

Tuesday’s announcement also shared that Box Office will join forces with a variety of owners, organizers and vendors across sports, health and fitness, concerts, comedy and nightlife, industry functions, philanthropy and faith. 

SI Tickets is currently launching with events spanning across youth football, basketball, hockey, cheer and dance competitions to fashion shows and live music bars.  

“It is thrilling to see disruptive web3 technology gaining traction through new use cases like NFT ticketing,” said Johnna Powell, Global Co-head at ConsenSys NFT. “We believe the partnership with SI Tickets will make it easier for owners, promoters, and facilitators to create a fan experience that reaches previously unseen levels of engagement.”

Every ticket purchased through Box Office enables fans to receive free credits toward any sports, concerts and theater on SITickets.com. 

“Blockchain technology offers significant benefits for consumers, particularly ticketing, including enhancing payment security, and eliminating scalping and fraud,” said Brian Trunzo, Head of Business Development, North America, for Polygon Labs. “Box Office is an important step towards further consumer adoption.”

In other news, read about Blur’s newly launched Buy Now, Pay Later program.