Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Production By Michael Burns, SVG Europe
Thursday, May 8, 2025 - 11:10 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Immersive technologies are reshaping sports broadcasting with solutions that enable more dynamic and engaging productions. From AR graphics to live virtual production studios, advancements in these technologies are driving efficiency and enhancing storytelling.
Broadcasters are increasingly leaning into immersive sports experiences to capture the attention of digital-first audiences, says Yavuz Bahadiroglu, head of sales (EMEA) for Zero Density. This demand is growing across top-tier and regional broadcasters who see the potential of virtual and AR production.
The reason for the growth is because viewers want to be informed and entertained , says David Jorba, VP of business development, broadcast at Disguise. Younger audiences want to watch a gamified virtual experience because that is how they like to interact with the information they consume. However, older audiences might still want to see more traditional brick and mortar' spaces. What works best is to have hybrid spaces where you can mix traditional production with virtual storytelling. Fans are looking for deep information with enlightening data visualisation and analytics. This is only possible through virtual technology and immersion.
Disguise has seen a lot of deployment of its technology in sports, says Jorba, including XR productions using an LED volume, as seen in ESPN Studio C and DAZN in Italy. These are full virtual environments where the presenters and guests are immersed in the content and can interact with it to deepen the storytelling, he adds.
Fans are looking for deep information with enlightening data visualisation and analytics. This is only possible through virtual technology and immersion
Broadcasters constantly need to produce more and more content; they need to do more with less but with the best quality possible. LED XR environments bring the quality virtual production you see in film into highly dynamic multipurpose production spaces. A second factor is powerful data visualisation. You need the capability to build strong storytelling graphics that feel realistic and bring a new perspective to the presentation. And lastly, you need realism. The virtual environments that fly you over to the events or allow you to analyse the game from the inside with a unique virtual perspective need to be highly realistic to eliminate the barrier between reality and virtual immersion.
Sports broadcasters worldwide are integrating virtual production to transform their coverage by enhancing storytelling, increasing fan engagement, offering eye-catching sponsored content and optimising production workflows, agrees Bahadiroglu. Viaplay Group has used Zero Density's Reality to build sophisticated virtual studios that seamlessly blend real and virtual elements. This approach allows broadcasters to present pre-game analysis, halftime discussions, and post-match breakdowns with unparalleled visual depth, making complex game strategies easier for audiences to understand.
Then there's the virtual window' studio, a hybrid space that combines physical sets with immersive LED walls and floors. Jorba says ESPN Sports Center and ESPN NFL Studio exemplify this approach, where the camera can shift between a virtual set and a traditional video wall effect.
In my opinion, it's an adoption process that will not stop, he adds. Eventually, all green screen environments will end up being LED XR volumes. All traditional video walls will transform into virtual window spaces with high-resolution video playback and Unreal Engine graphics. If anything, the holdback has been waiting for the right occasion. Most broadcasters started looking at LED XR two years ago. They spent time understanding the technology, the efficiency it provided, and the costs associated with it. Today, as they build a new studio or replace an old one, they are moving into this technology.
A third application is augmented reality graphics, which are increasingly being integrated into live sports broadcasts. For example, the Portland Trailblazers have used AR graphics to enhance fan engagement, providing real-time data visualisation directly on the broadcast feed, says Jorba.
Alex Roriz, vice president, global partner business strategy & growth, wTVision, agrees that AR graphics make sports broadcasts more immersive, informative, accessible, and exciting.
wTVision is integrating applications such as real-time player tracking and other statistics into AR. We have two kinds of augmented reality, one is tied to the field, so might be, for example, the distance to the goal in a free kick, or the team logos on the pitch, or a virtual advertisement, says Roriz. We are using that in the Portuguese league, in the Belgian league, in the Spanish league and other major events. It's trackless and so can be used in any arena; we use video recognition and the lines of the field to generate the tracking.
The company's R Space Engine can power everything from simple statistical displays to complex, three-dimensional representations of sporting data, and Unreal Engine is also used for photorealistic productions.
Sports broadcasters worldwide are integrating virtual production to transform their coverage by enhancing storytelling, increasing fan engagement, offering eye-catching sponsored content and optimising production workflows
For data-driven AR applications in sports, our render engine provides real-time connectivity, says Roriz. We have integrations with data sets and scoreboards from at least 32 different sports, and integration with many data sources from different countries.
The technology is certified for FIBA'
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Production By Michael Burns, SVG Europe 
