Every Saturday VRFocus likes to do a weekly round up of VR in Sport and back in October 2016 reported on Manchester City FC launching its own virtual reality (VR) app CityVR. The football club hasn’t stopped there as its just announced a collaboration with Jaunt Inc., providing a new 360-degree fan experience putting them into the action at the Etihad Stadium.
Filmed using Jaunt’s award-winning Jaunt ONE camera, the immersive video captures different moments of the matchday experience, from exclusive access to the players’ changing room to a first-hand look as the players arrive on the Blue Carpet, the experience gives fans an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at the matchday atmosphere at Manchester City’s home ground.
“There’s nothing that compares with attending a match at the Etihad Stadium, but the emergence of 360 video and virtual reality has allowed us to capture some of that atmosphere and excitement in ways that weren’t possible in the past,” said Diego Gigliani, Senior Vice-President of Media and Innovation for City Football Group. “As our fan base continues to grow, both within the UK and globally, we want all of our fans to get a taste for what it’s like to be at the Etihad Stadium – from cheering in the stands and watching players line up in the tunnel to welcoming the team off the bus and standing by-side with the stewards ensuring the crowd’s safety. We hope this pilot on the Jaunt platform reaches both existing and new fans, and reaffirms our commitment to exploring innovative ways of using VR to enhancing the fan experience to Manchester City fans, near and far.”
While Dominic Collins, General Manager, EMEA, Jaunt VR, added: “Working with a prestigious football club like Manchester City has been an amazing experience. The club is the perfect embodiment of the modern football club, and this is a further example of its commitment to innovation in sport. The Manchester City Match Day experience perfectly showcases what can be achieved with modern VR, and complements the fast-paced and passion-filled nature of Premier League football. VR is a new opportunity to engage with hundreds of millions of sports fans across the world, many of whom would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience a sports game at this level.”
The Jaunt VR App is available for most devices, including: iOS, Android, Gear VR, Google Daydream, PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. For any further Jaunt updates, keep reading VRFocus.