AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina in Serie A at the weekend was the first football match ever broadcast on the metaverse.
The stream, exclusively in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, was available to watch in the Lega Serie A room in The Nemesis metaverse.
“We have chosen to be the first to broadcast a football match in the Metaverse because we believe that the frontier of technological innovation is extremely important for a modern league such as Serie A,” noted the league’s CEO, Luigi De Siervo.
The match allowed for users to watch whilst engaging in activities around the live game in a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.
Siervo continued: “The MENA represents a strategic area for us due to the dominant presence of Generation Z and the particular receptivity to new developments.
“This is the continuation of a path that began with the release of the first NFTs in May 2021 and continued with the construction of the International Broadcasting Centre in Lissone.”
A growing number football clubs continue to explore the opportunities of the metaverse and in recent months, Birmingham City FC partnered with esports platform, Ultimo GG, on a project which scanned and mapped a digital recreation of St. Andrew’s Stadium.
As Birmingham City became the first club from the EFL to enter the metaverse, the digital platform looked to offer commercial opportunities for the club, engagement and entertainment opportunities for fans and fundraising opportunities for the BCFC Community Trust, Academy and other charitable causes.
