New York City Invests $6M in Augmented, Virtual Reality Hub

In 2016, a Goldman Sachs report predicted that AR/VR sales could reach $182 billion by 2025. Now, New York City, home to at least seven virtual reality centers, is committing $6 million to a 15,000-square foot space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard that will serve as a “hub for virtual reality and augmented reality.” The de Blasio administration says the hub will create more than 500 jobs. One of the existing centers, VR World, is equipped with a bar and dance music and lets users sky dive, rock climb or wield a samurai sword. Continue reading New York City Invests $6M in Augmented, Virtual Reality Hub

NASCAR and Twitter Sign Pact to Livestream Playoffs Races

NASCAR and Twitter have inked a deal for all 10 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs races in 2017 whereby in-car cameras will livestream the races to Twitter. Viewers can access the stream via the auto racing organization’s Twitter handle @NASCAR, nascar.twitter.com, NASCAR’s website and the NASCAR mobile app, with real-time curated tweets presented in a timeline. NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will broadcast the races; the first takes place at the Chicagoland Speedway on September 17 with Toyota sponsoring the live stream. Continue reading NASCAR and Twitter Sign Pact to Livestream Playoffs Races

VR Companies Learn the Ropes in Broadcasting Live Sports

Sports coverage in virtual reality is gaining momentum. Jaunt VR, NextVR and IM360 have all shown virtual reality applications for professional baseball, basketball, football, soccer and Daytona 500 auto racing. But sports coverage in VR creates new and unique challenges for producers. For example, VR cameras can’t zoom — a common practice in typical sports coverage — meaning the camera has to be as close to the players as possible, easy for boxing but a tougher proposition for, say, football. Continue reading VR Companies Learn the Ropes in Broadcasting Live Sports