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'Like being in the stadium': 360-degree cameras to stream International Champions Cup to Chinese viewers' living rooms

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AC Milan's M'Baye Niang kicks the ball past Inter Milan's Marco Andreolli during their International Champions Cup soccer match in Shenzhen on Saturday. Photo: AP

Mainland Chinese viewers of the 2015 International Champions Cup football tournament will be able to experience being in the stadium from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to innovative new 360-degree virtual reality streaming technology.

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Hong Kong-listed Digital Domain Holdings, which runs the world's largest independent visual-effects company, has joined forced with Letv Sports, a subsidiary of Chinese internet media firm Letv Group, to introduce the new viewing experience offered by its IM360 technology to millions watching the international friendly matches in Guangzhou and Shanghai this month.

The deal comes as a welcome development for Digital Domain, which saw its share price plummet last month amid reports that mainland Chinese businessman Che Feng, which owns a significant amount of the company's convertible bonds, was arrested by the country’s anti-graft authorities.

That arrest and the stock’s sharp fall also scuppered a proposed management buyout at the company, which posted revenue of HK$850 million last year.

The patented IM360 technology, which was developed by Canadian digital imaging firm Immersive Media, simulates the experience of being in the stadium and in the middle of the action for people who cannot attend the matches in person. Immersive Media created the first 360-degree view digital camera system and viewer technology, which was used by Google for its Street View maps application.

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“Once viewers experience IM360’s lifelike 360-degree experience, we anticipate they’ll be demanding it for all their favourite events,” said Daniel Seah Ang, the chairman and chief executive of Digital Domain.

Raising such demand could help the company build up its credentials as a major technology supplier to the one of the world’s biggest media markets, which also has the largest online population.

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