The year 2020 has brought many surprises for us. The inclusion of VR technology in mega sports leagues across the world is one of them. This year, fans enjoyed the Premier Boxing Championship in a different way. Broadcaster Fox Sport has brought second-screen applications for viewers who want to enjoy the bouts through virtual reality.
With Oculus Quest 2 headgear and Venues platform, now fans can enjoy the actions from the field through VR on Facebook. When talking on the issue, SVP technical and field operation of Fox Sport, Mike Davis said that number of start-ups have come out with the mindset of letting viewers enter into a virtual environment to enjoy exciting games like basketball from the front row. However, Mr. Davis added that technology and electronics failed to match the level of expectations before.
Advanced VR and AR
This is not the first time when Fox Sport attempted to venture into the realm of virtual reality. The broadcaster also attempted this in 2017 during the Super Bowl LI. Now, the advancement of VR and AR has made it easy for Fox Sport to introduce the initiative in a better way. In 2020, the audience has become more excited about this virtual experience.
Fox Sport has gained a lot from the existing cutting-edge technology and the association of technology giant Facebook. Now, the concept of watching like games through virtual reality has become more viable and for Fox Sports, it can be a great opportunity to venture into this new innovative and exciting concept.
A second chance
When talking about Fox Sport’s resolution to bring the concept back after 2017, Mr. Davis said that the broadcaster has been studying the development of virtual reality for many years, and when Oculus approach them with the Venues initiative, they realized that this new technology will not only provide the joy of watching the right from the front but also enjoying the bout with other people. He added that the broadcaster believed this was the right time to bring the concept back.
Real life experience
With this new device, viewers will enjoy a sense of immersion, as the device will take them around the entire venue and close to the ring as well. According to Mr. Davis, with virtual reality, the sport has become tailor-made. He added that boxing is the game that a fan would not want to miss in VR.
Along with enjoying the game from the front row, fans will enjoy in-arena noise, nat sound, and broadcast commentary at the same time. As this season’s Premier Boxing Championship has been held in Los Angeles, the broadcaster managed most of the tasks on site. Their VR project was managed by six staffers onsite, while other tasks like graphics were handled from Los Angele’s Pico facility.
Developing never stops
The concept of virtual reality has gone through major changes over the last ten years. The latest development can be good news for fans who want to get unobstructed views from the field and enjoy their favorite sporting events from a convenient place.
