Richard Einstein at Vizrt explains the enhancements AR/XR tools are providing for sports broadcasts

The pandemic forced sports broadcasters and production teams to look at available resources and workflows differently. With lockdowns and travel limitations, organisations turned to centralised and remote networking solutions to collaborate on sporting event productions. Broadcast teams also looked to AR and XR tools to compensate for reduced or non-existent fans in the stadiums and help make games more exciting and engaging for home audiences.

Broadcasters, sports leagues, sponsors audiences alike are now embracing such elements as:

  • Virtual advertising, branding and sponsorships
  • Augmented reality for game data and analysis
  • Teleportation to bring talent from virtually anywhere into a broadcast
  • Audience augmentation with virtual spectators on and off the field
  • More integrated visuals and data to support sports betting

All these help enhance the fan experience. As restrictions begin to ease, we now see a continued interest in and use of these AR/XR tools. In many ways, the past 18 months have helped with the proof of concept that these technologies can contribute significantly to sports production efficiency and creativity while also offering unique league sponsorship opportunities — which all lead to a more interesting, exciting, engaging experience and more stories better told for the fans.

What began as workaround strategies for many sports broadcasters has brought shifts to workflows and creative possibilities for studios of all sizes. As in-person fan engagement continues to increase, and as the tools continue to grow in their usability, creativity, and quality (watch for big advances in photorealism in the near future), AR/XR technologies will become an even more integral part of sports production best practices for delivering the best viewing experience possible.

Richard Einstein

Richard Einstein is senior global product manager sports, at Vizrt