At the moment, no one can truly confirm that Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are dating. However, it is no secret that the singer-songwriter has been attending Chiefs games this season.
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Last weekend, NBC spent plenty of time reminding viewers that the “Anti-Hero” singer was in the crowd. The broadcast featured several shots of Swift in the family skybox with her famous friends and Kelce’s family. This Swift-centric coverage reportedly brought NBC a bump in viewership.
[RELATED: Taylor Swift Brings Famous Friends to Second Kansas City Chiefs Game]
Many longtime sports fans and the traditional sports press have had some criticism of NBC’s fixation with Swift. However, it seems that the network knows what it is doing. Last weekend’s Chiefs game was the highest-rated Sunday game for the team since the Super Bowl in February. It seems that NBC giving its NFL broadcasts the (Taylor’s Version) treatment is responsible for the bump.
If the Chiefs games were just getting more views, it could be written off as a coincidence. However, it isn’t just that more people are tuning in. It’s who is tuning in. According to Deadline, Nielsen and Adobe Analytics showed that last week’s broadcast saw a 53% jump in viewership by girls between the ages of 12 and 17. Additionally, the game saw a 24% bump in viewership from women between the ages of 18 and 24 and a 34% bump with women over 35.
As Billboard reports, NBC went above and beyond to remind viewers that Swift was at the game. They cut to the singer in the family skybox 17 times over the course of the game. Additionally, the camera cut to the Cornelia Street sign before going to a commercial break. The reference to the song wasn’t lost on Swifties who were watching.
Also, Carson Daly took time to use Swift references to explain football to the singer’s fans before kickoff. They even ran a promo for the game that featured the singer’s track “Welcome to New York” to bring even more eyes to the broadcast.
While many football fans and traditional sports news outlets are rolling their eyes and wishing NBC would stick to the gridiron action, the network is bringing a new audience to the sport and reaping the rewards.
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