HBS leads XR Sports Alliance to deliver fan experiences no longer constrained to the limitations of TV By Adrian Pennington
Monday, July 1, 2024 - 13:10
Print This Story
Accedo debuted an XR sports streaming application during Euro 2024 as a showcase for MagentaSport
If extended reality (XR) is the next field in sports broadcasting it could jump into the mainstream come summer 2026, when the FIFA World Cup lands in the US, Mexico and Canada.
HBS is one of three founding members of a new XR Sports Alliance designed to accelerate research and bring to market immersive sports applications for a new generation of consumer device.
Speaking to SVG Europe, HBS director of digital, Johannes Franken points to past VR experiments at the FIFA World Cup in Russia and the AR service offered at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
While these were mostly used as marketing or proof of concept type of use cases, when we look forward we believe that these are the technologies where we need to be successful, he says.
It's no secret that there is [not a huge] amount of headsets in the market but we see that there are some roadblocks to create a viable business case for that. That was one of the reasons why we thought we should found this alliance and bring many parties together, because solving those roadblocks can only be achieved as a group.
Taking knowledge from content creation and service delivery out of social media productions and transferring that into the XR world is our goal in the alliance.
It is very, very hard to define XR rights today. How do they differentiate from traditional AV rights? Are they a subset of AV rights? How do you separate volumetric data within data rights? Every big sporting federation has their own definition.
While HBS explores ways to produce immersive XR sports content, the other partners in the alliance chip maker Qualcomm and OTT video solutions provider Accedo lead on device manufacture and distribution.
Accedo will explore monetisation, data intelligence and would build the user experience. It will also advise on the kind of features sports rights owners should test first and experiment with and create a user testing panel.
Initially we were thinking about prioritising the in-home use case, but more and more we're hearing that rights owners and stadium or venue owners are also looking at how to enhance the in-venue experience, says Lucy Trang Nguyen, business development director, XR, Accedo. The technology and test framework that we're building for in-home could potentially also be leveraged for the stadium experience.
Patrick Costello, senior director for business development at Qualcomm, says sports XR applications are a top three interest among its users.
We've been investing in XR R&D for over 15 years and that manifests itself today in a very robust hardware and software roadmap. We have a dedicated XR silicon roadmap and we address all sorts of types of devices and architectures. The aim is to scale XR to the size and scope of something like mobile at some point.
Qualcomm is even considering developing a purpose-built device for XR sports viewing , says Costello.
We see the XR market developing a little bit differently than mobile. We are already seeing purpose-built devices for the medical vertical, for defence, and fitness and health devices. We really want to collect input from alliance members and see if there is room for more of a dedicated sports viewing device for this market and run that through the test framework.
Carving out XR rights
XR is a nascent term in media and requires some pinning down. This is part of the problem that the alliance says it wants to solve.
XR is the companion to all the immersive technologies available today and something Apple has called spatial computing, explains Jose Somolinos, solutions strategist and XR lead at Accedo. Most headsets available now are not only VR or AR but also MR, meaning they are equipped with cameras that let you see the outside world (or passthrough) as if you were wearing glasses and displays that on a screen in front of your eyes.
There are a host of technical problems from compression to delivery as well as improving the comfort level of XR wearables, but there are commercial issues that the alliance will address too.
It is very, very hard to define [XR] rights today, stresses Franken. How do they differentiate from traditional AV rights? Are they a subset of AV rights? How do you separate volumetric data within data rights? Every big sporting federation has their own definition.
Not only is there a fragmented definition of XR as a media, there's confusion over the marketing implications too.
How does a virtual can of Red Bull compare to a board advertisement? These kinds of definitions are all very fragmented and scattered over the market. What we are trying to do is help federations and to define a more streamlined approach, says Franken.
XR at Euro 2024
In an example of the type of solution it brings to the field, Accedo has debuted an XR sports streaming application during Euro 2024 as a showcase for Deutsche Telekom's sports streaming service MagentaSport.
The solution uses Xtend, Accedo's solution for XR applications complemented with tech from Ateme and HISPlayer. It integrates live streams and data feeds and includes interactive features such as live statistics, multi-camera feeds, player cards, and 3D sponsored experiences.
In a release, Accedo said the activation introduces fans to a viewing experience that is no longer constrained to the physical limitations of the TV screen.
It described how the application will blend fans' physical and virtual worlds by displaying the match in the space around the fan, while also introducing a new layer of interaction where fans can access supplementary informati
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it's given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what ...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World into the Spirit Realm i...
12/06/2026
With John Daro, DI Colourist at Warner Bros. Water Tower Color Tuesday 23 June, 10am-1pm or 3-6pm
Restar Corporation
Tokyo
Register here
John Daro is the ...
12/06/2026
Meet The Grumpy Onion Ireland's newest online sensation, all he wants is to ...
12/06/2026
RT stays Up All Night with brand new daily 2026 FIFA World Cup Vodcast
Adding to the fun around 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, RT has launched a brand new d...
HBS leads XR Sports Alliance to deliver fan experiences no longer constrained to the limitations of TV By Adrian Pennington 
