With the World Cup fast approaching, TikTok is leveraging its position as FIFA‘s first ever “Preferred Platform” with the launch of a new, separate app called TikTok Pro Events.
Per TechCrunch, Pro Events will let users complete fan challenges to earn a currency called “Stars” that can be redeemed for swag. For the World Cup specifically, users can earn Stars by searching trending hashtags related to the competition, visiting the FIFA World Cup digital hub, and sharing Cup-related content on their own TikTok accounts.
Basically, they need to make some noise–and amp up TikTok’s engagement metrics in the process.
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Redemption items include things like official World Cup merch and TikTok Shop coupons. Users also have the option to convert their Stars into a charitable donation to TikTok’s philanthropic partner, Feeding America.
TikTok describes the new app as a way to “deepen community immersion during major cultural milestones”–indicating that it plans to keep Pro Events going after the World Cup wraps.
We get what TikTok is going for here. The structure is reminiscent of Twitch’s Drops, which caters to video games and rewards users with in-game items if they watch a certain amount of content about said game from partnered streamers. (For example, you might get a free Apex Legends skin if you watch five hours of streams from a participating creator.)
TikTok taking that same concept to IRL events tracks with the creator economy’s general shift toward more IRL fan experiences. It’s also, of course, tapping into the behemoth that is live sports.
Social platforms and live sports continue to enmesh further and further, and with the World Cup as its test run, Pro Events will show TikTok just how much buzz fans are willing to generate in exchange for gamified rewards.
