NextVR, one of the sports industry leaders in virtual reality production, is taking its current relationship with the NFL one step further.
The two organizations announced on Thursday a partnership that will bring NFL highlights and postgame experiences to fans in virtual reality, with the first game being the San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals on Sunday followed by the Chicago Bears at New York Giants on Nov. 20. The Giants at Cleveland Browns game a week later will round out the three games as part of the new collaboration.
“Adding the NFL to our growing portfolio of content partnerships further validates our unmatched technology and our ability to deliver an incredible virtual reality experience to sports fans,” NextVR Executive Chairman Brad Allen said in a statement. “NFL fans are constantly craving more football and this partnership will meet this demand by delivering an unprecedented virtual reality experience to fans both in the U.S. and around the globe.”
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Following each game, a 10-minute virtual reality experience will be available to fans through the NextVR app as broadcasters Danyelle Sargent and Ephraim Salaam provide on-site commentary. NextVR staffers will work alongside NFL Films producers to capture content at all three games.
“Virtual reality is a rapidly evolving technology, and this is a great opportunity for the NFL to continue experimenting with the capabilities and distribution of VR experiences. We’re excited to work with NextVR to bring this first-of-its-kind experience to our fans,” William Deng, Director, Media Strategy and Business Development at NFL, said in a statement.
The NFL and NextVR also captured content at three football games last year and had a booth at the NFL Experience during Super Bowl 50, so fans could watch footage from the games in virtual reality.
Last week, the NFL also announced an expansion of another current relationship, this time with Google as the organizations said they’ll be producing a nine-part virtual reality series, which will kick off Thanksgiving day.