NFL fans are familiar with ManningCast, which features former quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning not only talking about the weekly Monday night game, but also bringing on special guests and joking around throughout the game.
Now the NBA is exploring new engagement options with Xtadium, a virtual reality app that allows fans to watch each game with a new perspective on the Oculus, a VR headset.
NBA League Pass is required for Xtadium, but users can sign up for either the basic or premium version. The main difference between the two is that the basic version has commercials, while users of the premium version see what is happening inside the arena during commercial breaks.
Every day there is a Xtadium stream so viewers can watch every game that is available to League Pass users. Games on NBA TV, ESPN, TNT, or any other national streaming service are not on the stream.
During this daily stream, users can choose the multi-game experience, in which users see one game front and center, and smaller views of all the other games on the left and right sides of their viewing area. Users can control what game to focus on, which can be changed throughout the night. Users can still see all the action from each game.
On Nov. 4, the first day of the season when all 30 teams were playing, subscribers of League Pass who had the Xtadium app could watch 13 games on the multi-game experience and the other two games on the NBA TV channel tab on the app.
Watching the NBA through the VR headset is much better than watching it on a computer, where fans can only watch four games at a time, or on a tablet or phone, which only have one game on at a time.
Including multi-game experiences, the NBA will provide 52 regular season games in 180 degrees on certain nights. During these games, fans get viewing perspectives from below both hoops and courtside. Fans can also see the home broadcast of the game either to the left of them if they are behind a hoop, or right above them by the jumbotron. The audio from the broadcast can be heard during the game.
The NBA, however, is not the only sport switching to virtual reality. Just a few weeks ago, Xtadium posted on their ESPN tab an immersive highlight video from the top five college football showdown against Georgia and Texas. They also had a highlight video from the matchup between Notre Dame at Texas A&M.
Other sports on Xtadium include the WNBA, NASCAR, highlights from this past year’s Copa America games, the Australian Open, and UFC fight replays accessible with a UFC Fight Pass subscription. There are some highlights as well from both the USA men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Although there are already many events on Xtadium, more sports events should be available with virtual reality options. This will allow viewers to have different experiences and a diverse mix of ways to watch their favorite sports.
