Millennial entrepreneur Andre Lorenceau founded his startup LiveLike ( http://livelikevr.com ) in 2015 in order to take advantage of new VR technology to improve the live sports watching experience. He partnered with Fox Sports the French Tennis Federation among other groups to produce 76 events on its platform in 2017.
This platform pairs a virtual reality experience with social media during sporting events. It broadcasts live-streamed events with VR, augmented reality, and mixed reality from the perspective of a “360 degree virtual suite.” The user has access to camera angles, stats, highlights, and replays and a means of connecting with other fans through Facebook.
LiveLike recently worked with Fox Sports to create the VR app:
The new app enables fans to experience hockey, football, basketball, soccer, and other sports like never before.
The company gained a second wave of investment this year totaling about $9.6 million which will be used to continue developing the LiveLike brand by expanding the platform and making it more user friendly. They are seeking ways to incorporating fantasy sports and intelligently targeted advertising into the VR experience. This will be done by using funds to expand their employee base and invest more into maintaining and perfecting their product.
Lorenceau identified the need for a more interactive and immersive sports experience for someone who is not actually at the game. There is often a social disconnect between fans at an event and those at home and he is uses VR technology to eliminate that barrier. Many people had thought this might be a possibility when the technology started to take off, but Lorenceau and LiveLike were able to make the idea work sooner than many people imagined.
For a more detailed look check out Variety Magazine’s article: https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/livelike-funding-social-vr-sports-1202700149/
Incorporating VR into sports spectating is a really cool idea. This level of technology feels so futuristic even though it has been around for a few years already. Now that VR is evolving so quickly, the way it’s being integrated into every day activities is an exciting thought. VR interests me a lot so I’m optimistic about where it is headed in the next couple years!
It is really great to see VR technology being put to good use. Feels like this technology has sort of been left behind and that few people are pursuing it. The applications for it are vast and no better way to use the platform than for sports. I see the greatest possible use for this as either selling “seats” to people that want the game experience but can’t make it due to travel or the event is sold out. I also very much like the fantasy aspect of the expanding business.