Amazon to Debut AR Football Coverage in the UK
Amazon is set to revolutionise the football broadcast format this week with a groundbreaking initiative. The new format, featuring augmented reality graphics and real-time tactical analysis, is designed to captivate younger audiences and enhance their engagement with live sport.
The new feed, branded as Prime Vision, will be used in the UK for the first time during the opening round of UEFA Champions League matches, including Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Villarreal. The system overlays live footage with graphics displaying details such as player names, sprinting speeds, and jumping heights.
When a shot is taken, instant pop-ups will show the speed of the ball and its likelihood of resulting in a goal, bringing viewers closer to the action. Players in possession will be highlighted with animated circles beneath their feet, and passing opportunities will be visually marked for viewers at home, enhancing the viewing experience.
Further features include a momentum bar, which indicates which side is more likely to score next, and a tactical map that provides a real-time view of all players’ positions across the pitch. Executives at Amazon believe these additions will sustain audience attention by offering more profound insight into the match action.
The project reflects a broader trend among broadcasters seeking to modernise sports coverage to appeal to younger demographics. Prime Vision was initially trialled in the United States in 2022 as part of Amazon’s NFL coverage. In that market, audiences tuning in for the Thursday night NFL feed were, on average, seven years younger than traditional cable viewers.
Amazon has outlined longer-term ambitions for Prime Vision. The plan is to develop a range of graphic and data options that fans will eventually be able to customise, allowing each viewer to choose the features most relevant to their experience. By doing so, the company aims to provide a more interactive and personalised form of sports broadcasting, catering to the individual preferences of each viewer.
The NFL has often led the way in experimenting with innovative live sports feeds. The 2023 Super Bowl featured a special broadcast on the children’s network Nickelodeon, where cartoon characters were integrated into coverage and augmented reality projected virtual slime into the end zone after touchdowns. These experiments demonstrated how alternative viewing formats can reach new audiences, particularly younger fans.
Across the industry, rights holders and broadcasters are exploring how to address shifting viewing habits. Surveys suggest younger fans are less likely to watch full matches live. Research conducted by YouGov in 2023 found that only 31 per cent of global sports fans aged between 18 and 24 regularly watched live games, compared with 75 per cent among those aged 55 and above. Instead, younger audiences often favour highlight reels, athlete-driven social media content, and interactive experiences such as video games.
Prime Vision’s format is heavily influenced by gaming culture, drawing parallels with visuals that have long been present in popular football and NFL titles, including EA FC and Madden. Amazon’s approach mirrors recent experiments by other organisations. In 2023, the NFL partnered with Genius Sports and Electronic Arts to create a live feed that mimics a video game broadcast. Similarly, the Premier League has collaborated with Sky Sports on a “game mode” presentation. It has invested in the virtual reality company Rezzil.
The move underscores how traditional broadcasters are adapting to the preferences of digitally native audiences. By blending live sports with data visualisation and gaming-inspired elements, Amazon aims to sustain interest in football broadcasts among younger generations while providing established fans with new ways to follow the action.
