The NBA has extended its current partnership with Meta to broadcast games to the Metaverse. Using the joint viewing platform Xtadium, the league announced that 52 of the league’s games will be made available via virtual reality (VR) technology. Five of the games will be offered in a more immersive format for Meta’s flagship Metaverse app, Horizon Worlds.
NBA to Broadcast 52 Games in Metaverse
The NBA has signed a deal to bring some of its games freely to the Metaverse; on January 23, the companyannouncedthat it will extend its current partnership with Meta to broadcast games using virtual reality (VR) technology. The games will be broadcast using Xtadium, a Metaverse app for broadcasting immersive sports experiences using Meta’s MetaQuest 2 consumer headset
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The league will showcase 52 games on Meta’s flagship metaverse app, Horizon Worlds, for users to enjoy and watch. Five of these matches will be presented in a more immersive way using 180-degree monoscopic technology. This means that users will be able to experience the matches as if they were sitting near the court, changing their perspective as the match progresses.
With this, the league aims to give existing fans a more interactive experience, and new fans who are familiar with these new technologies will become more familiar with the sport. In this regard, Metamedia Content Director Sarah Malkin stated.
The superpowers of VR allow people to immerse themselves in a shared experience with friends and fans around the world, and we are excited to bring this killer feature to the NBA Arena and live games.
Avatar Merchandise and More
The NBA and Meta will also offer fans the opportunity to purchase NBA licensed apparel in Meta’s Avatar Store. These elements will be available across Meta’s family of apps, including Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook, etc. Rob Shaw, director of sports media and league partnerships at Meta, emphasized the new technology emphasized the significance of offering this new technology to fans. He explained that.
Meta’s immersive VR technology opens up new opportunities for sports fans to engage and interact with their favorite NBA teams. Fans will be able to express their fandom by wearing their favorite team’s gear in their avatars and enjoy more live NBA games.
The NBA is very open to using new technology to expand its reach, and through a partnership with Dapper Labs, the company has launched NBA Top Shots, an NFT video marketplace featuring the moments that are the most important plays in the league’s story back in 2020.In September, the league partnered with fantasy gaming company Sorare to create a non-fungible token (NFT) game created.
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