Mediapro Canada has partnered with immersive live sports streaming startup YBVR and TELUS to pilot a fully-immersive sports metaverse service.
“Beginning with OneSoccer and the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the TELUS Sports app brings Canadian soccer fans access to unique features allowing them to choose, in real time, between up to eight different camera angles, across multiple devices and from multiple viewers to offer the most immersive soccer viewing experience in the comfort of their home or on-the-go,” a press release explains.
The TELUS Sports app is free to download on mobile devices through Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, as well as on select Android TVs and for TELUS subscribers, through Optik TV and Pik TV, and at telussports.ybvr.com. The app is currently available as a pilot for the remaining nine matches in the season.
“YBVR is proud to partner with TELUS and MEDIAPRO Canada to offer a one-of-a-kind viewing experience to Canadian soccer fans,” said Hector Prieto, co-founder and CEO at YBVR, in the release. “YBVR is the technology provider behind the enhanced, immersive, multi-camera and hyper-personalized fan experience. It is an interactive and flexible solution that will be available for all October Canadian Premier League games. As soccer fever takes over Canada, the ending of this year’s season promises to be exciting, and TELUS, combined with the power of YBVR’s technology, will make it accessible for all Canadians.”
“As the sport with the highest participation levels among children and young people in Canada, soccer is embedded in our national mainstream. This project provides an exciting boost for fans by enhancing the Canadian Premier League’s digital content offering through the TELUS Sports app,” said Amit Nag, Vice-President, Entertainment and Education Services at TELUS. “By partnering together with YBVR and MEDIAPRO Canada, TELUS is piloting next-generation technology for the Canadian Premier League and enhancing soccer’s impact on the Canadian landscape.”
The press release says the three organizations are “among the first to ride the wave of technological innovation into Canada, bringing immersive, personalized and interactive functionalities to soccer.”
“This new venture represents an extraordinary opportunity for OneSoccer and the Canadian Premier League and will vault the viewing experience to a whole new level,” said Oscar López, CEO at Mediapro Canada. “In just four years, the CPL has developed into a compelling and competitive league with a dedicated fan base from coast to coast, and TELUS and YBVR have shown that they understand the popularity of soccer among Canadian families and sports fans, at a time when Canadian soccer is reaching new heights – not just at home but at a continental and global level. We’re delighted to join the likes of Real Madrid and Wimbledon in engaging viewers through the latest in technological innovation.”
