It’s now the weekend, time to put your feet up after a long week at work and enjoy some virtual reality (VR) goodness. If you like to mix a bit of sport in with that as well then you’ve come to the right place, with VRFocus’ regular Saturday roundup of This Week in VR Sport.
NextVR to Broadcast Five 2017 NFL Regular Season Games
Virtual reality (VR) broadcast specialist NextVR tends to be the go to company for watching sporting events in 360-degrees, and this week is no different. To start with the company has announced a new collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) to stream five post-game experiences this year.
Hosted by Super Bowl XLIV Champion Reggie Bush and sports commentator Elika Sadeghi, each post-game highlight will showcase the best VR moments from the game and be available to fans on-demand in the NextVR app which can be downloaded for Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream.
NextVR and NBA League Pass to Showcase Every Game in VR
NextVR’s next announcement comes from its long running collaboration with the NBA, with the broadcaster set to schedule 27 live games in 360-degrees for the 2017-18 NBA season through the NBA League Pass.
To make each stream that little bit special NextVR will be debuting a new feature called Screening Room. This will allow subscribers to watch any NBA League Pass game on a virtual movie theater-sized screen. Every game night, fans can immerse themselves in a 360 VR environment with the opportunity to select up to 13 NBA games to livestream on a massive virtual screen.
“Following a groundbreaking first season of NBA games in VR, we will introduce new product features, including real-time graphics floating like holograms within the field-ofplay, deliver sharper images, and introduce more VR devices to fans,” said David Cole, NextVR CEO in a statement. “We are continuing to advance the realism and fidelity of our NBA broadcasts and these new features will deliver the most immersive live basketball experience to date.”
Go Behind the Scenes or Soak up the History in Juventus VR
Lastly if you happen to be a fan of football (the European kind), or more specifically Italian soccer legends Juventus FC, then the club has launched a new virtual reality (VR) app for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
The app gives Juventus fans exclusive access to the changing rooms, Allianz Stadium pitch, Juventus Training Center, Juventus Headquarters, J|Medical, or finding themselves side by side with captain Gianluigi Buffon or Paulo Dybala.
“Innovation and excellence have always represented two of the most important values of our club,” commented Federico Palomba, Co-Chief Revenue Officer of Juventus. “Launching this unique app on Oculus’ platform will give millions of VR users and our global fan base the chance to discover Juventus as if they were really here. Having so many supporters in every corner of the world, we are thrilled at the idea of bringing them closer to us.”
