Coinbase and Grayscale unveil new TV spots in time for bitcoin halving

New television spots by crypto stalwarts Coinbase and Grayscale are set to air during NBA and NHL playoff games, the companies told Blockworks.

The commercials come around the highly anticipated bitcoin halving — slated to occur on April 19 or 20 — when per-block mining rewards are set to drop from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC.

The Coinbase commercial, posted on X Monday, shows a spotlighted motorbike in a warehouse-type setting apparently used for pizza deliveries.

“Over time, your money gets you less,” a voice states. “Does bitcoin?”

The commercial shows how much pizza a person could have bought with one bitcoin in 2012, as one box appears on the back of the bike. A stack of boxes is added to show how much 1 BTC was worth in 2016.

By 2020, the flood of boxes knocks over the bike. Cardboard rains down further to quantify the 2024 value of a bitcoin in pizza terms.

“Roughly every four years, the future supply of bitcoin is reduced,” the spot states. “So historically, you get more. Not less.”

The ad is set to start airing Wednesday on TNT, ESPN and ABC during NBA playoff games, a Coinbase spokesperson told Blockworks. It will run through April 22.

Grayscale Investments’ ad, published to YouTube on Monday, touts the company’s standing as the world’s largest crypto asset manager. The firm’s Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) holds roughly $20 billion in assets under management despite consistent net outflows in recent months.

“Sometimes investing feels like you’re going at it alone, especially when it comes to adding crypto to your portfolio,” the ad states as a man tries to row a racing boat and hang a painting by himself. “But it doesn’t have to be that way.”

It ends with the tagline: “Crypto investing begins here.”

In addition to appearing online, the Grayscale spot will air on CNBC, CNN, Golf Network, News Nation and NHL Network, a spokesperson told Blockworks — including during the NHL playoffs.

The upcoming crypto commercials during popular sporting events come after companies in the segment opted not to advertise during the Super Bowl in February.

Coinbase is not new to getting out its message during the NBA playoffs, launching a campaign focused on updating the financial system for last year’s postseason games.

The crypto exchange was one of the crypto companies to advertise during the 2022 Super Bowl. It more recently ran a television spot in February featuring a sad Abraham Lincoln on a penny, and the tagline: “Money is happier when it’s digital.”

Grayscale ads have appeared in various airports and train stations for years.