US Sports network ESPN has partnered with tech giant Meta to launch a virtual reality (VR) experience centered around sports on the Meta Quest platform. This collaboration will bring immersive sports highlights to the Xtadium application, featuring content from ESPN’s impressive portfolio, including NCAA college football and basketball. In addition, clips from other popular ESPN programming such as the ESPY Awards will be available for viewing.
Furthermore, a fully-fledged ESPN-branded experience is in the works for Meta Horizon Worlds, offering users an even more comprehensive virtual sports experience. This partnership with Meta marks a significant step for ESPN in exploring new digital experiences ahead of the launch of its full direct-to-consumer platform in 2025.
This collaboration forms part of the ESPN Edge Innovation Center, with Meta becoming the fourth member alongside Accenture, Microsoft, and Verizon. The initiative seeks to leverage new technologies like VR, augmented reality (AR), 5G, and mobile edge computing (MEC) to enhance sports media and broadcasting.
ESPN’s vice president of Business development and innovation, Kevin Lopes, sees Meta’s involvement as a game-changing opportunity to drive innovation in the sports Entertainment landscape. Meanwhile, Meta’s vice president of metaverse, Vishal Shah, believes that the partnership will revolutionize the sports viewing experience for fans in VR.
Looking ahead, the ESPN-branded experience for Horizon Worlds is set to be released this summer, providing an exciting new way for sports fans to engage with their favorite content.
In a related development, SportsPro New York 2024 is set to delve into the challenges and opportunities in the largest sports broadcast and streaming market in the world. This event is a unique opportunity for sports business professionals to gather and exchange ideas in Manhattan this March.
