The NBA, NFL, and NCAA have all been tapped for virtual content on a regular basis and will likely continue to forge relationships with immersive content producers as the quality of the hardware and streams continue to increase. Now the MLB is making a big immersive splash with a 3-year partnership with Intel that will be delivered to baseball fans for free.
By way of Intel’s True VR app, live and on-demand VR Baseball content will be available for free starting on June 6th. Users will be able to customize their streams with multiple camera angles (all using 4k cameras), statistics, or even a produced broadcast experience for the Intel True VR Game of the Week. Intel also released the schedule for June in their press release for the announcement:
- Cleveland Indians vs. Colorado Rockies on June 6 at 8:40 p.m. ET / 5:40 p.m. PT
- Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants on June 13 at 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT
- Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners on June 20 at 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT
- St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks on June 27 at 9:40 p.m. ET / 6:40 p.m. PT
“As a VR partner of MLB, Intel is delivering a truly immersive virtual reality live stream where fans can experience the excitement of being at the ballpark every week,” says the general manager of Intel Sports Group James Carwana, in a prepared statement. “The addition of live stats to the Intel True VR weekly games is another example of how we’re giving fans more control to personalize their baseball experience.”
Baseball in VR is a big enough deal in itself, but a three-year deal is monumental for immersive platforms. It signals a belief in the long-term presence of VR and a Game of the Week format is a solid way to test interest from the fans. If things pan out, expect more involved deals and some competition from other producers in the future.
