Sports consumption of the future: Couch becomes stadium, pub and betting parlour

Thanks to voice control and virtual reality, viewers will be able to decide for themselves from which perspective they want to see a goal. The Americans are already fully on board with 7% users.

Couch potatoes need to be strong now: The days of passive sports are gradually coming to an end. In future, thanks to virtual reality glasses and interactive accompanying programmes, much more effort will be required when it comes to consuming sport.

New technological possibilities have already radically changed sport once in history - King Football being a prime example: suddenly it was possible to broadcast major and regular sporting events and tournaments live and in high quality to the world. Thanks to virtual reality goggles, live broadcasts have become an intense experience and deliver stadium and racetrack atmosphere directly to your home. Player master data can be queried and analysed interactively and in real time, and fans can network with each other during the competition.

7% of Americans already use VR for sports consumption

The sports and betting industry is also hearing the signals and getting ready for the next big thing. US Americans still use virtual reality glasses to watch sport relatively rarely, but impressively often for the early stage of development: seven per cent already watch live sport through the glasses.

Whether at the height of the boxing ring or from the basketball hoop. With new virtual reality goggles, viewers will increasingly be able to decide for themselves what they want to see. If you don't have VR glasses, you can click and drag to get an idea of what such a VR experience might look like. But can the social element of watching sport simply be replaced? In the future, many sports fans are likely to continue to appreciate cosy get-togethers - in the pub, at barbecues or at large public viewing events. "No virtual reality glasses can replace these emotions," says Sky press spokesman Michael Huebner.

But the aim is to offer consumers every opportunity to immerse themselves even more intensively in the event experience, for example with the on-board camera in Formula 1. Streaming as a growth market Younger people in particular are specifically looking for more entertainment than just the competition, the game or the race, but older viewers are also increasingly turning to their smartphones as a second screen - for example to research statistics or share highlights with friends.

Source: derstandard / photo: joseffson / westend61 / picturedesk.com