Korean consumer electronics company Samsung has signed virtual reality content partnerships with the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts promotion and action sports series the X Games, while Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has launched a new VR platform.
Under Samsung’s partnerships, the company will stream select live events through its Gear VR platform.
The VR Live Pass on Gear VR events will be available through the Samsung VR app in early June. Samsung has recently expanded Gear VR’s global presence to 45 countries.
The live broadcasts will include UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 3. For the first time in UFC history an event will be live streamed in virtual reality, with viewers also having access to additional VR content, including pre-event and post-event show highlights with UFC featherweight champion José Aldo and interim featherweight champion Max Holloway.
Live streams of the UFC 212 main card, including the championship main event, will be accessible in countries where Samsung VR is available, except the US and New Zealand. Gear VR users in the US will have access to the UFC Fight Pass early prelims. Gear VR’s X Games debut will come with the event in the US city of Minneapolis on July 13-16.
Meanwhile, MTG has launched Viareal, a VR app that offers viewers in the Nordic region immersive and interactive experiences. In addition to global sports showpieces such as the 2017 Uefa Champions League football final on June 3, Viareal will deliver exclusive VR content and extensions for esports events, and for MTG’s broadcast and streamed entertainment offerings.
Viareal is available via Google Play and App Store, and via the Oculus Gear VR store from tomorrow (Wednesday). It is compatible with all up-to-date Android and iOS devices and with Gear VR compatible phones.
Viareal is the latest step in MTG’s experiments with VR. At the Rio summer Olympics in August 2016, MTG became the first broadcaster in the Nordic region to bring consumers live sports in the 360-degree VR format.