Tag / Virtual Reality

by drey3113

The Next Generation of Sports Media Consumption

Imagine the world of virtual reality colliding with the world of sports. Real-time VR streaming fused with sportscasting to create a new world in sports media. The possibilities are endless. This is what Patrick Kulp at Adweek discovered after researching Fox’s collaboration with AT&T.

Fox decided to take a break from covering the current presidency to invest in its sports media stock. Their sports department teamed up with AT&T, Intel and Ericsson to bring the viewers of the U.S. Tennis Open Championship a more efficient and in-depth experience. By using 5G wireless services the possibilities for streaming and quality production skyrocketed while cutting costs at the same time. This raised questions on what else 5G could do for media production and consumption. The Sacramento Kings took this as an opportunity to collaborate with Verizon to create the first 360 virtual reality stream of a basketball game. While this may not help the team play any better it certainly provides fans with a new immersive experience. “Immersive media experiences are going to be one of the things that are unique on 5G,” said Jaunt CEO Mitzi Reaugh.” This step forward in sports media technology opens up many doors in the consumption of sports media allowing fans from all parts of the country to be able to experience their favorite team as if they were there. It is quite interesting where the current state of 5G is. There aren’t many 5G devices on the market, and most if not all providers are jumping at the opportunity to install 5G capabilities into a variety of venues. The future of sports media is now.

With native advertising and ad technology evolving with the times it seems like 5G is the next step for advertising as a whole. Advertising must always adapt to its ever-changing markets which is how native advertising has started to come to the forefront of most companies’ creative groups. Being able to utilize this new form of production and streaming may become an integral part in both sports media and advertising. While virtual reality might not be everyone’s cup of tea due to the issue of potential motion sickness and the technology being brand new, 5G in itself is the perfect stepping stone to bring advertising into a new world of audiences. Generation Z is one of the most tech savvy generations due to being born in an era of iPads and smartphones being commonplace in most households. To reach and relate to this new generation, sports media is making a conscious effort to evolve with the times and provide new and exciting ways to experience sports. Will this pay off as far as the numbers go? Only time will tell but it surely is a good sign to see the industry not shy away from new technology. There is a lot to learn about the usage of 5G though as it is a relatively new method of wireless connection and wireless services have had a history of problems as far as connection stability and reliability. 5G may surpass these obstacles though and can give fans what they want. Better sports coverage and better advertising.

For more information, take a look at Kulp’s  article Next-Gen Sports Viewing in Adweek New York volume 60 issue 4.

by hannahjdavidson

Walmart’s Builds the Future of Retail with In-House Incubator and Virtual Reality Experience

Dreamworks and Walmart team up to promote How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in Virtual Reality.

The retail company will use emerging technologies to create immersive experiences.

Leading tech companies such as Google, Facebook, and Samsung have been promoting experiences like Virtual Reality for years, however, could the retail giant Walmart be the driving force to help the technology become more established and mainstream?

In the latest addition of Adweek, digital marketing analyst and author, Marty Swant, writes about how Walmart’s debut of Spatial&, a newly developed in-house incubator in his article, “How Walmart’s In-House Incubator Is Imagining Virtual Reality for Retail.” Using emerging technologies, the company’s incubator will feature engaging experiences such as virtual reality and augmented reality.

According to Stan, “During an onstage interview at the Brandweek: Challenger Brands event earlier this month, Katie Finnegan, CEO of Spatial&, said Walmart created the incubator to begin planning for what retail could or should be in five or 10 years.” Experts believe that Walmart is better positioned to bring knowledge of this technology to the average consumer due to the retail giant’s immense exposure.

Walmart’s development of VR programs has long term goals. Founders of Spatial& aim to better understand how the technology will coincide with the future of merchandising.

The VR technology will serve to simplify the shopping experience. Last year, Walmart experimented with the software to help consumers purchase tent equipment that is difficult to visualize. Shoppers were able to use the VR experience within their own homes to envision what walking around in the tent would look like.

For the release of Spatial&, the company partnered with Dreamworks to advertise the new film How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. A tractor filled with VR and sensory equipment will travel to over a dozen Walmart locations so viewers can interact with characters from the movie. The experience will end in a VR you aisle and gift shop featuring toys based on the film.

For more information, review Stan’s “How Walmart’s In-House Incubator Is Imagining Virtual Reality for Retail.” Swant, Marty. “How Walmart’s In-House Incubator Is Imagining Virtual Reality for Retail.” – Adweek, Adweek, 28 Feb. 2019, http://www.adweek.com/digital/how-walmarts-in-house-incubator-is-imagining-virtual-reality-for-retail/.