US tech firm Intel is bringing its immersive ‘True View’ technology to the Premier League for the first time, after inking three new partnerships with Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City.
Under the three deals, Intel will become the Official Technology Partner at all three clubs for the next two years, starting today.
The partnerships will act as a UK launchpad for Intel’s True View technology, which allows clubs and broadcast partners to produce 3D and 360-degree in-game content. This can be used to deliver replays from angles never seen before in the Premier League.
Intel will get branding within all True View footage published by in-house club media, whether via the club app, social media or club TV channel, but it will not get branding when the footage is used by Premier League media rights-holders Sky Sports and BT Sport.
The full inventory of rights accorded to Intel is yet to be decided, but Intel will be able to activate the partnership globally, including in the three clubs’ strongest overseas markets.
Peter Silverstone, commercial director at Arsenal, told SportBusiness Sponsorship that conversations between Intel and other stakeholders about the technology have been going on for a long time.
“We’ve seen this incredible technology being used in in other leagues, it’s used in LaLiga and other sports, NBA, NFL, tennis.
“So we were aware of the technology, but it’s very complex. It involves not just the commercial side, not just the content side, but also the stadium management side that and, for that matter, the Premier League and the broadcast partners, so it’s been a very long period of discussion.”
The Intel True View set up uses 38 units of 5K HD cameras, each synced to one another at pixel level and positioned strategically around the arena – in this case Anfield, the Etihad Stadium and the Emirates Stadium.
The 38 cameras, watching the game from every angle, will capture and render around 200 terabytes of video data per match – equivalent to 5,000 full Hollywood movies shot in 4K quality.
Silverstone said that the resulting content will drive fan engagement form all over the world: “This content will go global, that is our aim. Our fans are universal, no matter where they are.
“We engage on a day to day basis with over 80 million via our huge digital platforms, and the Premier League is obviously broadcast to hundreds of millions.
“So by creating this additional content, we are hoping to increase that fan base, increase that engagement, which will also, ultimately, have benefit for Arsenal directly and also for our large portfolio and family of partners.
Tom Hines, senior content manager at Arsenal, added: “The aspiration of a very large percentage of our fans in Nigeria or Indonesia or the US is to get to the stadium and to see a game. This is about giving them an experience, from wherever they are, that gets them closer to that stadium. That’s still the pinnacle experience for them.”
The technology will go live on Sky Sports on March 10, when Arsenal face Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.