FOX Sports to Air Bundesliga Opener Live with VR

LAGUNA BEACH: FOX Sports has teamed up with NextVR to offer the opening match of the 2016-17 Bundesliga season in live virtual reality.

NextVR, which specializes in virtual reality broadcast technology, will broadcast Bayern München vs. Werder Bremen from Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The match is scheduled for August 26.

This marks the first time the Bundesliga will broadcast live to an international audience in virtual reality. The Bundesliga opener is the fifth major event in 2016 in which FOX Sports has teamed with NextVR to offer live virtual reality content, including the Daytona 500, a Premier Boxing Champions title fight, the Big East college basketball tournament and the U.S. Open golf championship.

“Virtual reality will allow fans globally to experience the Bundesliga opening match on a platform they’ve never experienced,” said Dr. Holger Blask, Bundesliga’s director of audiovisual rights and member of the executive committee. “The Bundesliga is excited to bring new exciting technology to live sporting events.”

“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with FOX Sports and for the opportunity to produce a Bundesliga match,” said Brad Allen, executive chairman of NextVR. “We are excited about the growing diversity of NextVR’s content portfolio as we continue to provide international sports fans with a wide array of options, including the opening game of the Bundesliga season.”

“The pipeline for captivating content in virtual reality keeps growing as we work with NextVR, and the Bundesliga match is an opportunity to provide fans with immersive content in the world’s most popular sport,” said David Nathanson, FOX Sports’s head of business operations. “Providing early adopters of virtual reality with content in new markets allows fans globally to be a part of the action and take their viewing experiences to the next level.”