Serie A lands in the Metaverse?

A new, intriguing and totally innovative way of viewing football is on the horizon. Yes, after numerous dilemmas and hypotheses in this regard, the much maligned Serie A - the historic top division of Italian football - may soon enter the Metaverse. An unimaginable goal until a few years ago, a revolutionary act that throws down the gauntlet to broadcasting and at the same time extends a hand to the new generations, the 'audience of the future' with interests, ways and habits contrary to the past.

But where does the need to open up to the Metaverse come from? The answer is simple. The audience has aged, sport is losing its young fans: Millennials are showing less interest in traditional mass media on a daily basis, preferring web and interactive content, quickly accessible through smartphones; television is therefore an outdated tool for the young generation, light years away from standard concepts such as, for example, cable TV subscriptions, a practice dating back to the 1990s and 2000s, now considered archaic.

According to an analysis carried out in seven countries by the ECA (European Club Association) - including Italy - 27% of the Millenials interviewed stated that they 'have no interest in football', 13% 'hate it' while, among the over-13s, 29% claimed 'they have better things to do'. Worrying numbers that have put football's top brass on alert. An enormous step backwards for the entire sector, which contributes substantially to that 3% of the GDP generated by the 'Italian sport' macrocosm, whose revenues are between 70 and 100 billion euros.

Hence the turning point, the VRO opportunity that made its way into the heated league meetings, following which Serie A formally formalised the sale of a specific package inherent to the Metaverse. The incipit of a long-awaited expansion into new markets, as well as a total opening towards "Internet, IPTV and/or Wireless for Mobile Networks" platforms, which will affect every single event in the championship; the announcement speaks clearly: "Pay-TV broadcasting rights will be sold in the so-called Metaverse (meaning a digitally simulated virtual world in which users can interact with other users) referring to:"

"3D re-editing of images of all live and/or deferred events".
"deferred highlights and related images until midnight on the eighth day after the event is played".

A choice that, on the whole, may appear unprecedented, but which, however, represents the natural continuation of an experiment launched about a year ago: it was Serie A itself, in fact, that transmitted the first match in live virtual streaming, through The Nemesis platform; a Milan vs. Fiorentina that entered history by right, even if visible exclusively outside European borders, specifically by users residing in the MENA area (Middle East and North Africa), a strategic zone in terms of Gen Z activities and trends. On that occasion, the CEO of Lega Serie A, Luigi De Siervo, expressed all his satisfaction, considering "the frontier of technological innovation essential for a modern league like Serie A", underlining the importance of a path started - a year earlier - with the issuance of the first NFTs.

In essence, even the fascinating world of football has realised that it cannot remain too anchored to tradition; times change and so do the uses and consumptions of the audience, abundantly linked to all kinds of progress. The user is ready to immerse himself in an alternative universe, charged with adrenalin, and to interact with others by taking advantage of a timeless passion that unites history, identity and memories. For the audience of tomorrow - which is fundamentally today - the Metaverse represents the future, a technology capable of guiding them through the captivating virtual football space, generating singular emotions, as only the most brilliant goals can offer.

It has to be said: the Metaverse provides opportunities on every single... 'pitch'! For more information and further details, visit our website and discover the HG Solutions designed for all those Italian companies of today that are aiming at tomorrow: schedule a call with our Meta-experts and exploit the advantages of the Metaverse to revolutionise your business.