Market demand for metaverse-based sporting events: a mixed-methods approach

The burgeoning reach of the metaverse has introduced new opportunities for the sport industry. As live sporting events are increasingly being streamed in the metaverse, both industry practitioners and academics face a pivotal question: Which attributes of these digitally mediated events appeal to consumers? We address this question in two phases, from a market demand perspective. In the initial qualitative phase, we conducted an extensive literature review, semi-structured interviews, and netnographic analysis to propose a hierarchical conceptualization of market demand for metaverse-based live sporting events. The conceptualization comprises three higher-order market demand dimensions: traditional core sport demand, VR engagement demand, and metaverse experience demand — each of which comprises four lower-order, more concrete market demand factors. In the subsequent quantitative phase, we analyzed 616 questionnaire responses from metaverse spectators using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The structural model results indicated that all three higher-order market demand dimensions significantly influenced metaverse spectators’ future attendance intentions, with consumer satisfaction as a partial mediator. An Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) revealed that virtual interactions were the most important market demand factor in affecting attendance intentions. Our results augment the theoretical understanding of the market demand concept and its functional mechanism in an emerging metaverse context.