Posted Mon Aug 22, 2016 at 04:15 PM PDT by Steven Cohen
The upcoming soccer match will be available in virtual reality.
FOX Sports and NextVR have announced plans to live broadcast the opening match of the 2016/2017 Bundesliga season in virtual reality for Gear VR Headsets. The soccer match will mark the latest live VR collaboration between NextVR and FOX Sports, following previous VR broadcasts of events like the Daytona 500 and the Premier Boxing Champions.
"Virtual reality will allow fans globally to experience the Bundesliga opening match on a platform they've never experienced," Dr Holger Blask, Director Audiovisual Rights and Member of the Executive Committee. "The Bundesliga is excited to bring new exciting technology to live sporting events."
The match will feature Bayern München vs. Werder Bremen and is set to begin at 8:30pm UTC on August 26 in the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The VR broadcast will use seven cameras to capture the action, including camera placed in the stands, along the sidelines, midfield and behind the goal. In addition, the event will also include live audio commentary by former American professional soccer player and Bundesliga player, Heath Pearce, as well as FOX Sports soccer commentator Mark Rogondino.
"We are thrilled to continue our relationship with FOX Sports and for the opportunity to produce a Bundesliga match," said Brad Allen, Executive Chairman of NextVR. "We are excited about the growing diversity of NextVR's content portfolio as we continue to provide international sports fans with a wide array of options including the opening game of the Bundesliga season."
The virtual reality broadcast of the Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen Bundesliga match will be available for free in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Asia, and select countries in Europe through the FOX Sports portal on the NextVR platform, currently supported by Gear VR headsets. The new Samsung Gear VR ($100) includes USB Type-C and Micro USB connectors along with an improved 101° Field of View and a more comfortable design. Supported smartphones include the Galaxy Note7, S7, S7 edge, Note5, S6, S6 edge, and S6 edge+.
"The pipeline for captivating content in virtual reality keeps growing as we work with NextVR, and the Bundesliga match is an opportunity to provide fans with immersive content in the world's most popular sport," said David Nathanson, FOX Sports Head of Business Operations. "Providing early adopters of virtual reality with content in new markets allows fans globally to be a part of the action and take their viewing experiences to the next level."
Source: FOX Sports
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