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Unless you have been living under a rock, you’re likely aware that Super Bowl LVII took place on Sunday.

While plenty tuned in to watch the Football as the Chiefs beat the Eagles, even more were expected to watch the Halftime show – headlined by Rihanna.

Rihanna’s halftime show averaged 118.7 million viewers, per Fox, a 15% increase from the 103.4 million average audience for the 2022 halftime show featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem - a show which went down as the most watched television event in the US last year.

However, there will also be a keen eye cast by the NFL on the viewership figures of another concert they hosted this past weekend…

The concert in question?

A virtual concert featuring American rapper Saweetie which took place within Rhythm City, a virtual experience in Roblox created by Warner Music Group.

Roblox @Roblox

When @Saweetie takes the stage on Roblox, you know she's headed to the top. Experience her exclusive @NFL #SBLVII concert today. ro.blox.com/Ebh5/RhythmCity

Premiering on Friday at 7pm ET, the concert aired every hour until Super Bowl Sunday. The NFL said that Saweetie would give a “family-friendly,” fully motion-captured performance and sing her hit songs like “Tap-In.” The experience would also offer mini-games and social roleplaying experiences like becoming a musician and owning a house or car.

Fans who virtually attended the concert could also get digital items on the Roblox marketplace or win items by finishing challenges. That digital collection included wearable hairstyles, hats, boots, headphones, and sweatsuits, which are based on Saweetie’s merchandise and her album looks.

The NFL coincided the launch of Rhythm City with the returned launch of Super NFL Tycoon, which made its debut during the 2022 Super Bowl. This is an experience which allows users to pretend they’re NFL team owners, draft a team and build a stadium. Cohesively bringing the two together, the NFL even provided a portal to let users can move between the two.

Intuit @Intuit

Have you checked out Intuit Stadium in Super @NFL Tycoon on @Roblox yet? 🍿 Enjoy the ultimate gameday experience in the @turbotax Lounge 🔋 Recharge in the @QuickBooks Locker Room ✍️ Write your own story in the @Mailchimp Press Box Play now: roblox.com/games/12282826…

Craig Santicchia, Managing Director at Wolfpad Gaming, commented that “It's great to see the event being integrated, linking music, sport, culture, and gaming.”

More broadly, Santicchia believes that,

“The NFL have had a smart and strategic approach to Roblox in general. With [previous activations from the NFL within Roblox such as] the NFL Quarter Back Simulator and [the original] NFL Tycoon experience generating 4.6 million and 8 million plays, respectively.”

All these forays from the NFL into the metaverse highlight how the league is being “smart” and “forward-thinking” in their attempts to cater to a younger audience.

For context, Roblox has more than 58.8 million daily active users and nearly 80% of those users are under the age of 16.

“For sports organizations, the metaverse provides a unique opportunity to reach a younger generation that may not engage with ‘traditional’ sports,” Santicchia explains. “With a combined spending power of $3.5 trillion by 2030, Gen Z is a valuable market.”

This, however, is where the problem lies.

“Only 53% of Gen Z consider themselves sports fans and only 1 in 4 will watch live sport regularly… Leveraging gaming and the metaverse, sports organizations can reach this audience and introduce themselves as more than just a sports franchise or rights holder.”
“By offering a complete entertainment experience that encompasses gaming, music, fashion, and product offerings, sports organizations can transform themselves into fully-fledged entertainment companies, much like Disney.”

Alongside the NFL, another strong example of a rightsholder doing this is Manchester City. Thanks to some clever strategic partnerships they have forged, and the launch of their own Roblox experience called Blue Moon, “an audience that may never have played football now know about Man City.”

Manchester City @ManCity

The Man City Blue Moon experience has landed on @Roblox! 🙌 Explore the Blue Moon with Moonchester, play a mini-game, collect items and more! 🎮 Come back tomorrow to visit the Roblox stop of the City Trophy Tour! 🏆 Play! ➡️ manc.it/BlueMoonOnRobl…

manc.itMan City Blue Moon [VIDEO UPDATE]Check out Man City Blue Moon [VIDEO UPDATE]. It’s one of the millions of unique, user-generated 3D experiences created on Roblox. Blue Moon Season 2 is here! The official home-base of Manchester City on Roblox has received a massive update! 🌚🌚🌚 📹 Watch behind the scenes videos of your favorite…

To this audience, Santicchia suggests that,

“Man City could be a cool esports fashion brand that releases limited edition hoodies with FaZe Clan, or a lifestyle brand that releases comfy loungewear with Puma. It doesn’t always have to be about the sport you live in. It’s about brand that you build.”

Getting involved in the metaverse can be a complex and challenging journey. But it also presents a huge opportunity for brands and sports organizations to reach these new audiences and to create innovative experiences.

By understanding the importance of community and the convergence of sport and entertainment, brands and sports organizations can position themselves for success when they touchdown in the metaverse. All whilst becoming more culturally relevant in the process.

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Bonus Track

B**** Better Have My Money: Royalty-linked NFT sold out in minutes ahead of Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show 🎤

Deputy, the music producer who collaborated to produce Rihanna's 2015 hit single "B**** Better Have My Money," has granted a portion of his streaming royalties to collectors through a series of 300 royalty-linked NFTs.

Selling out in minutes at $210 a piece, each holder will receive "a portion of 0.0033% of the streaming royalties" for the song. If I’ve done my maths right, I believe this equates to 1% of the total royalties of the hit single selling for $63,000.

Holders are expected to receive their first royalty pay out on the 16^th of February, with payments then every six months based on streaming revenue. Given Dr Dre saw Apple music streams go up 500% after his halftime show last year, you could make a case for an uptick in streams of Rihanna’s back catalogue, especially for ‘B**** Better Have My Money’, as she even opened her set with it.

NFL @NFL

SHE’S BAAAACK 👑 @rihanna #AppleMusicHalftime

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