CHICAGO – March 16, 2016 – STATS LLC, the world’s leading sports technology company, has partnered with Virtually Live, the business that enables sports fans to experience live games and events through virtual reality, to create a fully immersive viewing experience for fans.
STATS and Virtually Live conducted successful trial tests of the STATS SportVU data by converting the raw X, Y data into a live virtual reality replica of Hampden Park during the Scottish League Cup final on March 13 and the Queen’s Park F.C. match on March 16. An additional test will be held at Hampden Park with Queen’s Park F.C. on Friday, March 18.
By transposing live STATS SportVU tracking data into an immersive virtual replica of the venue, the Virtually Live platform delivers the positions and motions of tracked objects in real-time. Enabling users to enter the virtual world and socially interact with friends, Virtually Live gives fans the opportunity to choose any perspective on the action and experience an authentic in-stadium atmosphere, including on the field with the players.
“We are delighted to be working with STATS to bring sports fans never-before-seen experiences. STATS’ innovative SportVU data enables a wealth of in-depth insights on sports games, and our partnership is giving fans new perspectives that will further enhance their viewing experiences,” said Tom Impallomeni, CEO of Virtually Live. “We look forward to developing new experiences in partnership with STATS after the successful implementation of the SportVU data for football.”
STATS SportVU utilizes a six-camera system installed in arenas to track the real-time positions of players and the ball. This information is used to generate a wealth of metrics based on speed, distance, player separation and ball possession. STATS SportVU is used by top European football clubs to deliver advanced technical and physical performance insights and is the official tracking technology of the NBA.
“We are excited to be exploring the potential of STATS SportVU data to support the delivery of virtual reality experiences with Virtually Live,” said Roy Clements, Managing Director, Media and Gaming, Europe at STATS. “Delivering real-time X, Y positioning, STATS SportVU tracking data can be used to support engaging digital sports experiences. Its integration with virtual reality represents an important new phase in its development.”