Errol Spence Jr., Lennox Lewis, and Mikey Garcia attend FOX Sports and Premier Boxing Champions Press Conference Experience on Nov. 13, 2018. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Thursday, Mar. 14, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
- FOX Sports to Broadcast Network’s First PPV Event on Saturday: The FOX Sports network will broadcast the Premier Boxing Champions title fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia on pay-per-view this weekend. The contest at AT&T Stadium will be the network’s first-ever PPV event. A total of 22 cameras will be used for the broadcast, includes seven slow motion cameras, one SkyCam in the venue, two streaming robotic corner cameras, and one DynamiCam flying over the ring. The production will also feature a body mounted camera that FOX initially tested at last month’s Daytona 500.
- Team Ownership in Call of Duty Esports League Will Cost $25 Million: Franchise spots in Activision Blizzard’s new Call of Duty esports league are expected to be sold for $25 million per team, according to ESPN. The city-based league is expected to launch in 2020, the same year that teams from the Activision Blizzard-owned Overwatch League plan to also move into their individual home markets. Activision Blizzard confirmed the launch of a Call of Duty franchise league during the company’s quarterly earnings call in February.
- Microsoft Creates Intelligent Virtual Voice Assistant for La Liga: Spanish soccer has launched a virtual voice assistant that will be powered by Microsoft. Fans can interact with the La Liga product through mobile devices such as Samsung’s Bixby, Google Assistant, and Skype, according to SportsProMedia. The service will use artificial intelligence to provide information regarding team schedules, classification, results, player and club statistics, and videos of major moments in games from La Liga competition.
- Colorado Rockies Install Gaming Wall at Coors Field: The Rockies have partnered with MVP Interactive to add a gaming wall experience for fans at their home stadium. The wall is set to launch during the upcoming baseball season. “Integrating experiential technology into the fan experience is becoming more important for sports and live event venues seeking to maximize fan engagement and create meaningful connections that entice return visits,” said James Giglio, Founder, and CEO of MVP Interactive, according to Cynopsis.
- Eleven Sports Launches in 11th Streaming Market: Eleven Sports is preparing to launch its streaming platform in Japan on Saturday, Mar. 16. The OTT service will offer free live coverage of the Eastern League and the Western League, two of the country’s top minor league baseball competitions. Coverage includes 500 games per year as well as highlights, game reports, and news packages. Eleven is already available in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Myanmar, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, Ireland, and the U.S. Japan brings the total to 11.
