Intel’s production partnership with three of the Premier League leading clubs will deliver multi-angle replays and player-eye-view technology to the league’s domestic broadcasters to allay fears of cannibalising the league’s live rights.
The technology firm has partnered with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City to showcase its True View technology across the teams’ owned, operated and social media channels from March onwards.
Intel is using the sponsorship deals with the clubs as a proving ground for the technology in the hope that it can strike similar deals with other teams and rights holders to enhance their digital output.
True View uses a technique known as ‘volumetric capture’ to provide features such as multi-angle views of the sporting action and player’s-eye-view replays to enhance the viewing experience. Under the terms of the sponsorship deal, Intel will install a network of 38 5K ultra-high definition cameras at the grounds of each of the participating clubs to deliver the enhanced clips.
Premier League rules stipulate that the clubs are allowed to share this content on their owned and operated digital platforms from midnight of the day of each game and across social and third-party platforms from 72 hours after the final whistle.
Intel does not have a direct agreement with the Premier League’s domestic broadcasters but will make the immersive media experiences available to Sky and BT at the home games of the three clubs that they have the official partnerships with.
“Intel, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have all been fully involved with the Premier League because ultimately we want the broadcast partners of the Premier League also to use the technology,” Arsenal’s commercial director Peter Silverstone told SportBusiness Media. “I think the Premier League is onboard with what we’re doing, and this has certainly been collaborative in that respect.”
Tom Hines, senior content manager, Arsenal, said the technology would help to differentiate the club’s digital output.
“We’re not using it live, we’re using on a slight delay, but what we know is that the appetite from our fans for match footage is massive, and is insatiable,” he said.
“Anything that gives us an opportunity to enrich that match content for the fans, offer them something new and something unique, and this is genuinely unique, is a really exciting model for us.”
Intel’s True View technology is already used in the National Football League and LaLiga. In some cases the company has struck partnerships with both leagues and their broadcast partners, an arrangement which allows it to brand the content it produces for the live coverage. Because Intel’s UK deal is only with three teams, its branding will only appear on content produced for club channels rather than BT and Sky’s coverage.