There’s no denying Bitcoins increasingly popularity, but it wasn’t until early September that cryptocurrencies finally became the focus of a television show.

Start Up is the first show to centre on a Bitcoin-esque currency, but how did it come about?

 

What Is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin, business, tablet, boardroom, ip” (CC BY 2.0) by Whitez

Bitcoin is arguably the most popular digital currency in the world, having been promoted and supported by numerous businesses, the media and celebrities including Ashton Kutcher since it’s inception. Unlike more traditional currencies such as pounds sterling, dollars and euros, Bitcoin exists solely on the Internet and is controlled by no one.

Due to this, a variety of online platforms have started accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment and thus Bitcoin’s popularity continues to grow. Shopping brands like Amazon, Sears and Gap, online travel agents such as Expedia and gaming platforms including Microsoft Xbox and Steam all facilitate Bitcoin. Speaking of iGaming, there are now even Bitcoin-exclusive online casinos like Vegas Casino where players can play all the usual titles, the only difference is they’re Bitcoin roulette, Bitcoin slots, Bitcoin poker and so on.

 

Bitcoin In Television & Movies

Bitcoin Magazine” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by zcopley

Bitcoin has been growing in popularity ever since prices of the cryptocurrency grew to $1200 in 2013. Since then Bitcoin has been mentioned in a few movies including Deadpool and was even a key plot point in the film Dope, which explored the darkweb.

As for television, Bitcoin became a main component in USA Network’s Mr. Robot in mid-September after the characters began battling over Bitcoin and government-controlled currencies. This appearance was by no means Bitcoin’s first, though previous mentions of the cryptocurrency in TV shows have been somewhat lacklustre. For instance, Bitcoin was mentioned in an episode on Scorpion in December 2015, but it was pretty clear the writers weren’t entirely sure how Bitcoin worked as the baddie demanded a physical Bitcoin wallet.

Needless to say, whilst Bitcoin appears in quite a few different sectors of the media industry, its representation on television could be improved.

 

Start Up

Fortunately for fans of Bitcoin, it appears that a brand new, 10-episode series featured on Sony Pictures’ streaming platform Crackle focuses entirely on the world of digital currencies. Start Up follows the adventures of three strangers involved in digital currency and their attempt to avoid the FBI, and is so far getting great reviews.

This isn’t a small budget endeavour with small time actors either, as Martin Freeman and Adam Brody both appeared in the first episode, which aired on Reddit in early September. The cryptocurrency in the show is named GenCoin, but it’s easy to see the similarities between this fictional money and Bitcoin.

“People have heard about digital currency, but they really don’t understand how it operates. They just see it on the headlines,” Brian Stoeckert, a Bitcoin expert told CNBC after Start Up aired. “This is one way they can follow a story line and get a unique perspective on it.”

Hopefully, more television shows focused on digital currencies will come to fruition in the future and Bitcoin will continue to grow in popularity.