As the XR (Extended Reality) landscape has continued to evolve at an incredible, virtually every industry has begun to discover just how beneficial immersive experiences can be.
Initially, most people looked at XR as an innovation specifically intended for the gaming space, but we rapidly see new use cases emerge across the globe. Today’s XR innovations are empowering everything from improved customer experiences in retail to better collaboration among automotive manufacturers and improved training in healthcare.
Sports could be yet another vertical poised to benefit from the XR space. In the last couple of years, a number of different sports organisations have begun to experiment with the possibilities of extended reality for training team members, improving fan engagement, and generating metaverse experiences.
The Rise of XR in the Sporting Landscape
Perhaps the main areas many sports innovators are focusing on when it comes to exploring the benefits of XR, are marketing, customer engagement, and brand awareness.
As demand for the “metaverse” continues and companies look for new ways to digitally engage their distributed consumers, XR offers a phenomenal way for sports teams, entertainment providers, and similar leaders to connect with their target audience.
In November 2022, Japanese electronics giant Sony, purchased “Beyond Sports” to help create massive metaverse environments specifically for sporting events. Beyond Sports is a company responsible for developing real-world data used in 3D animations. Sony’s acquisition of the brand gave the company extensive access to powerful immersive content, ideal for creating real-time 3D content for sports experiences in baseball, tennis, football, and more.
Sony isn’t the first company to introduce us to the potential the XR environment has for amazing sporting experiences. In September 2022, the Fox Corporation introduced mixed reality broadcasting tools into its NFL Sunday production set. The use of mixed reality allowed the Fox company to create more immersive broadcast experiences for sports fans with compelling augmented content.
During the Superbowl, Verizon and Pepsi created an immersive 360-degree Web AR portal experience for the half-time show. This portal allowed fans to watch performers live and toggle rapidly between different stage views.
Sports companies are rapidly discovering new ways to reach different audiences through more immersive and engaging XR content. This is particularly important as new generations enter the sporting landscape. After all, studies suggest around 46% of younger sports fans prefer to watch content on smartphones and tablets.
With XR, sports groups can make their fans more active participants in teams. For instance, football clubs could introduce virtual reality apps which allow users to practice their skills alongside their favourite players or engage in interesting conversations with members of the team.
The Benefits of XR for the Sports Landscape
XR is a fantastic tool for sports teams and entertainment companies looking to create more immersive fan experiences. However, the potential of XR for the sporting landscape also goes far beyond just advertising and promotion. XR can also be a powerful tool for improving the in-venue experience for sports fans too. For instance, AR apps could help users find their seat location more easily when they arrive at a football stadium or provide helpful information about each team prior to the game.
Sports venues could use XR to deliver unique and “exclusive” experiences to season ticket holders. For instance, users could be given access to a VR or MR headset, which allows them to enjoy virtual “meet-ups” with holographic players. Examples of this kind of next-level immersive experience have already appeared at sporting events worldwide.
For instance, during the Euro 2020 tournament, Deutsche Telekom allowed fans to virtually pose with some of the German soccer team’s star players using a smartphone app. With XR, sporting venues and groups could even increase the number of attendees they can actively invite to enjoy and experience a live event.
Just like companies are hosting “virtual events” for customers who are unable to attend locations in person today, sporting companies can allow users to take their own “virtual seat” at a game when the stadium itself is already sold out. This not only opens the door to more revenue opportunities, it also means fans can enjoy a more immersive experience when interacting with their favourite teams, which goes beyond the basics of simply watching a broadcast on TV.
XR in the sports landscape could even help to improve the skills of key players with immersive training opportunities. Using haptic feedback tools, sensors, and artificial intelligence, sports teams can rapidly capture information about a player’s techniques and methodologies during a training session. The more data they capture, the more they can provide precise guidance and insights to players on where they can improve their skills.
With virtual reality, sports team managers can also allow their team members to take part in immersive training sessions from anywhere, even when access to a pitch isn’t available. This could help professionals prepare for different competition settings in advance without the need for excessive travel and expense.
Does XR Have Huge Potential in the Sports Space?
XR has already proven its value in the entertainment and arts sector as a powerful tool for bringing people together with artists, creators, and unique experiences. In the same vein, extended reality technology could also deliver phenomenal benefits to the sporting landscape too. Using the right technology, sports leaders can collect information about players in real-time and offer training with data-driven guidance to each member of a team.
XR will also give sports groups a unique way to engage with fans and customers around the world through both hybrid in-person experiences with added XR elements and virtual streams. XR could even help to improve engagement and assist sports companies with attracting more attention from buyers when it comes to selling tickets for upcoming events.
Though the full potential of XR in the sports space remains to be seen, it seems clear that sports teams, professionals, and agencies can definitely benefit from immersive technology.
