Meta Platforms has begun rolling out virtual reality (VR) sports matches for the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the season kicked off last week, the major sports organisation began showcasing on the Meta Quest.
With the partnership, Meta will offer immersive live games with 180-degree video. It will also showcase on-demand seasonal games and content via Xtadium and a dedicated NBA Arena platform on its Horizon Worlds metaverse.
Nothing But Net: The NBA Returns to Xtadium & Meta Horizon Worlds with Immersive Games for the 2023-24 Season https://t.co/taYz49bgX4 pic.twitter.com/LIiWq1fs5z
— Reality Labs at Meta (@RealityLabs) October 25, 2023
Previously, Xtadium has and continues to host matches for the NBA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR), and DAZN, a UK sports streaming platform.
Xtadium will also host all announced 52 games on its platform, with Horizon Worlds also hosting the events in 180-degree cinematography. This is a huge leap forward from last season’s five immersive games.
A Whole New (Virtual) World
NBA Arena is set to return to Horizon Worlds on 17 November, with tonnes of new features for building online communities for sports brands. With Worlds, the NBA-themed metaverse space will also provide rewards, games, and exclusive immersive content to encourage online interactions.
The platform can facilitate purchases for sports clothing as wearables for avatars, generating additional revenues. Meta Platforms Family of App (FoA)—Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger—will also boost interactivity for those attending the sports games.
NBA season has finally kicked off! The NBA will be streaming 52 games to Quest headsets in the US for free via Xtadium XR app! #virtualreality #xr #spatialcomputing #meta #applevisionpro #vr #ar pic.twitter.com/bF8nArWamz
— Marcus Ting (@marcusting) October 27, 2023
Using technologies from Xtadium, Meta will require an NBA League Passes for audiences to watch up to eight matches at the same time via Multi-Game Mode.
The platform will also provide broadcasts player stats, social media reactions, and other immersive content. Xtadium also provides private party rooms for attendees viewing the matches as their avatars.
The new sports metaverse will leverage the Meta Quest 3’s groundbreaking passthrough feature and allow users to switch between 180-degree film and 2D matches via a virtual screen.
According to the remaining scheduled games, 52 games will stream via Xtadium and Worlds.
Meta, Xtadium Bring NBA Basketball in 180-Degree VR
The news comes after Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Executive, Meta, announced on 23 January of this year Meta would sell NBA merchandise directly on the Meta Avatars Store.
Doing so would increase engagement and representation for user avatars and generate additional revenue streams on the Meta Quest Store platform, leading up to the season’s end in June.
At the time, Meta also announced it had become the official league’s VR headset, both for the NBA and Women’s NBA (WNBA). It would also incorporate celebrity broadcasts in 180-degree immersive VR, complete with game highlights, summaries, and archived footage.
However, Meta and Xtadium will only host the latter in the United States, and Horizon Worlds-based games in the US, United Kingdom, Iceland, Ireland, France, and Spain.
Meta will also host the matches on the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and now, Meta Quest 3.
Apple to Stream NBA Games with Vision Pro Headset
The news comes after the NBA reportedly partnered with Apple in July to stream sports matches on the upcoming Vision Pro headset. Showcasing the technologies at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2023 in June, Apple’s Vision Pro is expected to host NBA games with immersive streaming, content, and games.
Speaking to the New York Post at recent event, Adam Silver, Commissioner, NBA, unveiled the partnership, stating that the sports organisation would be one of many entertainment platforms streaming premium content on the device.
The meeting at the “Summer Camp for Billionaires” in Sun Valley, Idaho, saw Tim Cook, Chief Executive, Apple, David Zaslav, CEO, WarnerBros Discovery, and Bob Iger, CEO, Disney, gather on the second day of the event.
At the time, Silver told the media,
“We’re working very closely with Apple. Just in a general way, I’ve been having lots of conversations with media companies and tech companies. It seems like the interest in premium live sports remains incredibly strong.”
The Rise of the Sports Metaverse
For many companies in the XR community, building and developing the sports metaverse has become a priority due to its deployable use cases. News of a growing ecosystem of sports metaverse and virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) experiences continues to develop across the immersive technology industry.
Additionally, demand on telecom infrastructure and use of emerging technologies like cloud and edge computing, internet of things (IoT), the blockchain, and interoperable solutions have facilitated the drive for building the multibillion-dollar sports industry’s most innovative immersive experiences.
Some of the biggest companies at the forefront of the sports metaverse include Improbable, who began shifting focus to the sports world after working with Major League Baseball (MLB) and others.
After becoming “swamped with demand,” Herman Narula, Chief Executive, Improbable, explained that sports would become a massive contender for the XR community.
Verizon has also become critical to the XR sports world, namely after developing several immersive experiences for people attending live National Football League (NFL) games at stadiums.
In a huge collaboration with British sports data firm Genius Sports, augmented reality company Snap, and Verizon, sportsgoers could receive real-time updates from their sports idols and game activity via their smartphones.
Also, in a world-first immersive experience, XR firm MeetKai partnered with the Charlotte Hornets to open the latter’s NBA virtual store. Digitally-twinned from Spectrum Stadium in the Charlotte city centre, fans could also speak to their fellow sports enthusiasts about the team and receive news updates.
While there, people could browse digital twins of real merchandise from the Charlotte, North Carolina-based team’s brick-and-mortar shop to deliver right to their door.
XR Today spoke to James Kaplan, Co-Founder, MeetKai, Weili Dai, Co-Founder and Executive Chairwoman, MeetKai, and Seth J Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer, Charlotte Hornets, to learn more about the initiative.
