New research conducted by IT company Amdocs and media consulting firm Ovum aims to quantify how much 5G will transform the sports experience for fans in stadiums and at home. The research surveyed C-level executives at 60 of the world’s 100 largest communications and media companies.
The study shows that 63 percent of network operators plan to use augmented reality or virtual reality while broadcasting or streaming in 5G. Two major upcoming sporting events—the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the 2020 UEFA European Championship—are spurring that roll out of 5G technology. According to the research, 26 percent of operators intend to introduce 5G services during the Olympics, while 28 percent of operators are targeting the Euro 2020 tournament. Overall, 91 percentage of operators plan to trial 5G within sports and esports venues by the end of 2020.
“5G is not just a new wireless technology from a network equipment provider, it’s a fundamental transformation of mobile networks, infrastructure and business models,” said Ed Barton, Chief Analyst, Consumer and Entertainment at Ovum, in a press release. “It will drive the creation of new applications and services, which in turn will require new operating and business models, force changes across operator technology setups and emphasizing the need to integrate the new with the old. The industry has two years or less to get it right if it is to hit the ground running.”
Nearly all operators (97 percent) plan to use 5G at an esports event, according to the study. Growing investments in 5G technology may also make operators more likely to purchase their own sports teams. The study found that 37 percent of operators intend to own a sports team in the 5G era, while 18 percent will pursue esports team ownership.
“It’s essential for operators to find successful use cases for 5G given the investment levels,” said Gary Miles, CMO at Amdocs, in the press release. “Operators have identified these events as the springboard for rollout of a whole range of new interactive and immersive services. This will give consumers their first real taste of what 5G can deliver and allow operators to showcase the capabilities of their next-generation networks.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Compared to its predecessor, 5G offers lower latency and internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G connection. A 5G audience is expected to have increased access to AR and VR viewing features during live sporting events. Earlier this NBA season, the Sacramento Kings partnered with Verizon to provide 5G virtual reality viewing of a game to a select group of fans.