This past weekend NextVR partnered up with the International Champions Cups (ICC) to deliver us the first ever virtual reality live-stream of a professional soccer match.
In the past few months we have seen NextVR bring us closer to the action with NASCAR, US Open, and the NBA through their live and on-demand virtual reality production. On July 25th, they showed us all the best angles in the match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The latest partnership with the ICC at their annual summer soccer tournament hosted by Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, was captured from five vantage points on the field and live-streamed to fans, press, VIPs at the stadium, and select locations worldwide.
NextVR and RSE Ventures aimed to introduce fans to a new, highly-immersive way of experiencing a match in real time from anywhere in the world and demonstrate RSE’s desire to test the waters with new technologies. Fans who checked out the experience and may be more used to conventional broadcast platforms were instead treated with virtual reality field access and freedom to look around the stadium in any direction at any time.
“We are excited to partner with RSE Ventures and the International Champions Cup on this incredible tournament,” said Brad Allen, Executive Chairman, NextVR. “We are putting fans in places where they would never be able to access in a stadium seat – a groundbreaking event for the world of soccer.”
NextVR continues to lead the way in live broadcast quality content for virtual reality devices and we can only assume they will deliver us even more sports in the future.
In other sports leagues like the NFL, virtual reality is being used for quarterbacks to practice reading defenses and ever-shifting coverages. However, the real power of sports VR actually lies in the way fans fundamentally can consume live sports action. As sports virtual reality broadcasting continues to grow and innovate, it is becoming more clear that soon fans will be able to choose their seat position, pull up scores and stats, hear the crowd roar in full 360-degrees, all while “attending” the game from the comfort of their home.
Highlights from the Manchester United vs. FC Barcelona match, as well as other premium experiences, will be available soon on NextVR’s portal for use with any virtual reality device, including Oculus Rift, Sony Morpheus, Samsung GearVR, and HTC Vive.
Image Credit: NextVR
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