Intel True VR uses multiple panoramic, stereoscopic camera pods, which generate up to 1TB of data per hour, to create a more natural, realistic and immersive view of live NBA game action. Intel will become the Exclusive Provider of Virtual Reality for NBA on TNT beginning with NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
The NBA’s marquee matchups on TNT will now feature live virtual reality game action, as Intel and Turner Sports announced their multi-year partnership on Tuesday to provide content for the NBA on TNT VR app starting with NBA All-Star 2018 in February.
To watch, fans will be able to download the forthcoming app on the Google Play and Oculus stores and use Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream headsets.
The NBA has for the past two seasons offered scheduled NextVR live broadcasts in virtual reality — 27 games this season — through NBA League Pass, which does not include access to games that TNT broadcasts nationally. Now after the All-Star game in Los Angeles, one TNT game per week for the rest of the season will be available for virtual reality viewing around the world.
Using Intel True VR technology, viewers of the NBA on TNT games can have virtual seats courtside or up in the stands for a bird’s-eye view with fans being able to choose from multiple camera angles. Intel True VR has for the past two seasons streamed select NCAA tournament games in men’s basketball, offering viewers the chance to switch between angles of the action from different sides of the court and also watch the coaches and crowd.
“You produce the viewing experience,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said at Web Summit in Lisbon.
“This is an exciting time to be a basketball fan, and we are thrilled to be working with Intel and Turner Sports to make virtual reality and 360-degree content from the NBA on TNT games available,” Jeff Marsilio, NBA vice president, Global Media Distribution, said in a statement. “We are committed to bringing the most innovative and immersive experiences possible for our fans.”
And thanks to Intel, which has had Intel True VR used in Major League Baseball and the PGA Tour, the basketball viewing experience could get even better.
Intel is also partnering with the NBA to become an authorized provider of virtual reality and 360-degree volumetric video with Intel freeD technology for official league broadcast partners globally.
In the future, Intel plans to integrate Intel freeD technology into the virtual reality experience, enabling fans to freeze a moment of game action and view it from the player’s point of view as if they were on the court.
“There’s no camera in the player,” Krzanich said of the digital image.
“Think of this as we’re simulating real-time what the player saw. Imagine any sporting event, and you’re able to go inside their helmet, their eyes and see exactly what they saw. No more questioning, ‘How did they make that pass, how did they miss that goal?’ Whatever the sport is, you can now go in and see what they saw. This is going to transform how you view sports, how you think about sports.”
Krzanich had told Axios in June that by 2019, fans would be able to use VR headsets to go onto the field of play.
“Intel is working with leagues and sports organizations all over the world to develop and deliver the most cutting-edge immersive media experiences that will make sports more engaging for the next generation of fans,” James Carwana, vice president and general manager of Intel Sports, said in a statement. “This unique partnership with the NBA will enable us to work with official league broadcasters, including Turner Sports, to take their broadcasts to an unprecedented level and create new ways to immerse viewers in the game.”
First, the freedD technology can be incorporated into game broadcast, enabling commentators to pause key moments in the game and view the action in 3D from any angle.
“Turner Sports and Turner Ignite Sports have been at the forefront of delivering thrilling new experiences to fans. This unprecedented partnership, with Turner Sports as the first NBA broadcast partner to offer the latest Intel VR technology, does just that,” Will Funk, executive vice president of property marketing and corporate partnerships for Turner Sports, said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing this partnership to life through our broadcasts, as well as telling the story behind the power of Intel’s True VR technology in other unique, unexpected ways.”
