Into the Bridgerverse: Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ Merch and Live Events Business Is Blooming Ahead of Season 3
variety.comBridgerton” has become so much more than a TV show. Heading into Season 3 of Shonda Rhimes’ massively popular period romance series, Netflix has found that viewers aren’t just invested in the love story of new leading couple Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) — they want to invest in the brand itself.
That means a fandom spending its dollars on a growing merch and events business that helps them celebrate each new season of the show, which is based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels.
Equally important, it tides them over between installments (which take quite some time to produce). Netflix and Rhimes’ Shondaland began building their “Bridgerton” business after the show launched as an almost immediate smash in December 2020.
The first step was the fan event “The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience,” which debuted in Los Angeles in March 2022. Since then, the immersive ball has moved from New York to Chicago to Montreal and more, and will open in Melbourne, Australia, on May 24.
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