» The purpose of XR in sport is largely to enhance the fan experience, whether it’s providing additional information or purely for entertainment « National Basketball Association (NBA) first began experimenting with virtual reality back in 2013, and it’s since struck a deal with Meta, giving Horizon Worlds players the chance to catch games at the virtual NBA Arena – all they need is a Meta Quest VR headset, which happens to be the official VR headset of the NBA and WNBA (women’s league). On the flip side, AR overlays are making waves in sports broadcast. During Super Bowl LVIII – which was simulcast by CBS and its subsidiary Nickelodeon – the latter distributor provided a kid-friendly, alternate telecast of the National Football League (NFL) championship game. Using AR technology, viewers saw
Other tools, like 360° video and multiview, offer an unconventional perspective on sports, allowing fans to watch several games at once, all from a single screen, or see from an athlete’s POV. Spatial audio, on the other hand, is today’s surround sound, putting the listener at the sonic centre of any event. Whatever the technology in question, sports have become spectacular; rather than merely watching a match, fans can feel fully engrossed in the action. Fact vs fiction Extended reality is hardly a novel concept; digital field markings, for example, have been around for decades. The purpose of XR in sports is largely to enhance the fan experience, whether it’s providing additional information (such as who’s out on the pitch) or purely for entertainment purposes (decorative graphic overlays, for instance). Interaction – also known as audience participation – also isn’t new. From the kiss cam to T-shirt tosses, in-game engagement keeps both diehard fans and casual viewers coming back time and time again. Now we’re well into the digital age, and major leagues are adopting XR technology like never before. The
graphic overlays of their favourite Nickelodeon characters, such as Spongebob Squarepants, Patrick Star and Dora the Explorer. This proved to be popular, raking in an estimated 1.2 million additional viewers as well as standing out on social media. Outside the United States, it’s no different. Munich’s recently opened SAP Garden – home to the EHC Red Bull München ice hockey and FC Bayern München basketball teams – was designed with immersive technology in mind. An overhaul led by Bright! Studios means the arena incorporates Stage Precision’s SP software to turn tracking data into real-time XR content. “The goal was to turn the arena into a kind of interactive playground,” says Leon Herche, creative producer at Bright!, in a press statement. To create visual content, the SP system first collects data through tracking chips attached to players’ clothing, as well as hockey pucks and basketballs. Once processed, this information allows SP to trigger graphics and other effects via Unreal Engine and a lighting console respectively. Examples of the arena’s interactive features include on-ice or on-court animations, a light roulette that lands on a spectator at
MATCH MADNESS The virtual NBA Arena in Meta Quest hosts actual games through the NBA- Meta partnership
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