Los Angeles is finally getting a white Christmas — sort of.
When the Rams host the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, a game between 4-10 teams will also be a bright spot. augmented reality Technology, both on TV and on the $5 billion site.
In addition to CBSCovering the game, Nickelodeon will air coverage of “Nickmas,” AltCast’s first regular-season version of the slime that has thrilled viewers of the final games two years in a row.
Nick’s coordinating game producer Sean Robbins said the network has increased the amount of augmented reality on the show by more than 10x. Viewers at home can expect to see a virtual yeti stalking the field, darting through multiple camera angles and armed with snowballs, while Patrick Star joins the booth via the magic of live-action capture. Viewers at home will also see an entire section of the stadium looking slimmed down.
“The first year we had slime cannons, and the next year we had two ARs and a slime monster,” Robbins said. “And this year, we took it to a whole new level in terms of AR controllability.”
Virtual technology is not only the field of television broadcasting. For the fans in the stands at SoFi, the Rams will have a few tricks of their own. Nick and Snap partnered with the team to get fans to poke fun at the team’s 70,000-square-foot Infinity Screen.
Rams is also working with mixed reality company ARround to build the multi-feature app-based augmented reality experience, Rams House AR. Users enter their seat numbers, which helps the app display a live augmented view of what they would see if they put their phone down. On Sunday, fans will be able to take part in virtual snowball fights as the field gradually turns white, or try their toes in a 3D kicking challenge. Other items will appear on screens (and appear to be on the field) in response to crucial moments in the game.
In early tests, Rams VP and GM told media outlet Marissa Daly that the average user spends more than 10 minutes on the app.
“We hope to show you a great game of football for sure…but I don’t play football,” Daly said in an interview. “And so we want to make sure that everything about this experience also makes you want to come back.”
While other franchises wave towels or draw classic jingles, the Rams lean toward Hollywood-sized entertainment to build their brand.
We were in Green Bay [Monday], and they have a completely different philosophy than we do, and that’s okay, right? “Different markets are different,” Daly said. “This city expects invention and reinvention. They expect you to impress them.”
There was a time when owners would shudder at the sight of fans collectively pulling out their phones during a game. But teams are increasingly not only accepting the practice, but encouraging it, pushing apps and QR codes that leverage cameras and advanced functionality of phones to connect fans with each other.
As companies like Meta and Apple invest more in mixed reality hardware, these interfaces could change as well. It might not be long before fans don’t need to look at the jumbotron for a replay, or pull out their phones to check out a fancy score. Alternatively, they may both be clicking on their glasses.
“We don’t want to be left out when it gets big, and we have to understand that,” Rams chief technology officer Scarbie Heddinson said in an interview. “That’s why I think what we’re doing in augmented reality today with ARound and Snap is important, because it gives us that muscle memory.”
With the ARound platform, the Rams are also integrating AR sights into their display panel and another version of the experience for fans who aren’t in the stadium.
SoFi is a presenting sponsor for the Rams House AR, which means there’s revenue in these improvements as well. Elsewhere, Rams has partnered with Disney on past Snap AR Lens shows, like when fans were recently converted to the Na’vi from the Avatar series.
Many of these items, on Nick and SoFi, may primarily appeal to the more casual section of the fan. But over time, technology is likely to evolve in ways that improve the experience for even the most football-obsessed, too.
ESPN recently introduced 3-point distance markers to its NBA coverage, while the Clippers set up an alternative feed Display shooting ratio in real time. Amazon has added open reception metrics to its Prime Vision version of Amazon.com Thursday Night Footballand the PGA Tour is working with an augmented reality startup to give fanatics along the ropes a more immersive experience.
“I realize we do the silly things, add yeti and snowballs, but this can be anything you want to dress up,” Robbins said. “Anything creative, anything that helps tell the game’s story better, all of those things are going to be seen. Without a doubt, that’s the future.”
Originally posted 2022-12-22 13:56:12.