Indian Premier League 2018
India is gearing up for season 11 of Indian Premier League. BCCI and IPL are working their hardest to make this the biggest Twenty20 cricket tournament of the year. Many new firsts will be seen in this year’s IPL. One of the most revolutionary step IPL has taken this year by embracing technology, and introducing Virtual Reality to give a complete immersive experience to the viewers at home.
Star India Brings A New Vision To IPL’18
Last September, Star India acquired all media rights to IPL, after replacing Sony, for US$2.55 billion. According to Sanjay Gupta, the Managing Director of Star India, “The Vivo IPL 2018 will be a 6-month-long fiesta with new-age technology putting fans at the heart of the experience. We are confident that the Vivo IPL 2018, as re-imagined by Star India, will empower viewers, advertisers, and the media and entertainment ecosystem of India with greater convenience and viewing pleasure, audience deliveries and all-round growth,”
What Does VRT Means For The Viewers At Home?
The introduction of VR technology will empower viewers to feel the genuine experience of the IPL. VRT cameras will be put at the stadium to give a superior visual experience to the people watching from their homes, offices, etc. They should simply visit Hotstar and put on their VR box. The aim behind this was to enhance the experience for people who will not be able to make it to the stadium.
What Does It Entail?
There are two approaches to see the IPL in VR on Hotstar. The first is through VR glasses accessible in the market. Hotstar’s back-end technology will now incorporate VR gadgets. Another choice inside the application will be to press pause on the match at any given time, and swipe/tilt the phone to get a 360-degree perspective of the ground. Both will be a first for IPL digital broadcasting . Gupta said the VR feature would not only improve the viewers’ experience, but also provide another route for brands to draw in the audience outside stadiums.
Rahul Johri, CEO of BCCI said, “Over the last decade, the BCCI has transformed the Indian Premier League from a radical new idea into India’s biggest sporting phenomenon and despite the scale of its success, the sky remains the limit for the Vivo IPL 2018. In Star India, we have a partner that not only believes in the immense potential of the IPL, but also believes in pushing the boundaries of sports broadcasting, which gives it the power and ability to take the IPL to even greater heights,”