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“At E1 Series we believe in the power of sport to inspire change. We are mission-based and a challenger rights-holder in a crowded market. We have an incredible roster of team owners who are invested in the series to help spread the message that we need to decarbonise marine transport to help protect our oceans and waterways. It’s important for us to be innovative for our message to cut through the noise and, critically, for our competition to be easy to understand for a new audience so that the message doesn’t get lost.
We included mixed reality in our content mix from the beginning - VR track maps with real-time data help fans understand where our boats are in relation to each other and on an on-water race course. We use AR overlays on our broadcast cameras to highlight data points, show race-critical information and in place of physical ‘track-side’ branding - much more flexible and sustainable than the real world alternative.
When I heard about the XR Sports Alliance I was intrigued. After meeting with some of the team it was clear to me that this was something that E1 should be part of. I wanted E1 to share our experience of XR tech and to learn from some of the industry’s most innovative thinkers. I wanted to showcase our solutions and, perhaps in the future, be a test-bed for cutting edge tech that can help engage the next generation of fans.
The media landscape is changing, lean-back broadcast experiences will always have a space but we believe that forward-thinking rights holders need to be looking at immersive story telling to engage younger viewers. I see a future where my children are taking part in a virtual version of the same sporting event that my wife and I are watching on a traditional screen. In most sport the data is already in place. Now, it’s about finding the tech solutions to turn that data into engaging experiences that will bring sport to new audiences.
For our second season the championship will be introducing mixed reality fan engagement experiences at our events - tabletop track maps with real-time data and race simulators allowing fans to race our boats on virtual versions of our real tracks. We will be introducing virtual replays in our host broadcast, allowing us to broadcast VR replays from any angle we can imagine. And, inspired by the XRSA, and working with our partners we’re excited to continue to push the boundaries of technology to develop engaging fan experiences that help to grow our audience and develop the next generation of champions of the water.”
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