Fox Sports said it was beginning a five-year partnership with NextVR to create virtual reality coverage of top sporting events.
NextVR and Fox Sports used virtual reality as part of its coverage of Premier Boxing Champions matches in January. They will team up again during Fox’s coverage of the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
“It’s all about delivering something new and exciting for our viewers,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports president, COO & executive producer. “Virtual reality is the next great frontier in immersive experiences for fans across a wide variety of sports. It’s a rapidly changing technology, and this deal with NextVR positions us to be on the front lines for years to come.”
Fox Sports and NextVR tested live virtual reality broadcasts in 2015 at the Auto Club 400 NASCAR race in Fontana, Calif., and the United States Open Golf Championship from Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
“We have worked with Fox Sports for over a year to test live, virtual reality programming across several sports,” said Brad Allen, executive chairman, NextVR. “This wide-ranging agreement is proof that our technology provides an exciting and compelling option to witness great sporting events in virtual reality.”
