Live-action virtual reality broadcast technology company NextVR and Relevent Sports, a division of US sports and entertainment firm RSE Ventures, have unveiled plans to broadcast three matches from pre-season club football competition the International Champions Cup live in virtual reality.
Today’s (Wednesday’s) match between English Premier League teams Liverpool and Chelsea at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California will be the first match to be shown in virtual reality.
NextVR will also broadcast virtual reality coverage of matches between Spanish Liga side Real Madrid and Chelsea on July 30 at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, as well as the clash between Real and German Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich on August 3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
NextVR will also make the July 30 match between English Premier League team Leicester City and French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain at StubHub Center in Carson, California, available on-demand in the week after the tournament.
Virtual reality broadcasts will allow viewers to decide whereabouts on the pitch they would like to watch the action from. Viewers can also change camera angles in-game. The VR experience of the 2016 ICC matches will be available for free in the ICC channel on the NextVR platform, currently compatible with Gear VR headsets.
NextVR and Relevent Sports first announced their partnership in December, stating they would break fresh ground in making the ICC the first series of sports events to be scheduled for live virtual reality broadcasting.