Immersive technology is changing the way fans enjoy live sports entertainment.
The Edmonton Oilers hockey team is selling tickets for away game watch parties at their home stadium in Alberta, Canada. The really cool part? Instead of watching the game live on the jumbotron, fans can watch the action unfold on the ice itself.
Earlier this week, a Reddit user going by the name of u/LanceBakersMan shared footage of a Rogers Road Game Watch Party that took place this past Sunday at Rogers Place Arena. According to the user, “real-time puck/player tracking” was used to display the exact positions of the puck as well as each player on the ice during Game 4 of the series.
“Edmonton is selling out their arena on away games and using real time puck/player tracking to display whats happening on the ice in L.A.,” said u/LanceBakersMan in their post. Meanwhile, a live video broadcast of the game was displayed simultaneously via the jumbotron.
According to the official website, seats for the Rogers Road Game Watch Parties cost just $5 with net proceeds going to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. For more information on the watch party and how to purchase tickets visit here.
This kind of technology could open new avenues of revenue for sports venue owners looking to make the most of their stadiums, even during away games where the players can’t be physically present.
This, combined with the stadium-wide AR technology we’ve seen used by professional sports teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, could change the way fans enjoy live sports entertainment forever.
For more information on that visit here.
Feature Image Credit: Brian Murphy, All-Pro Reels