TV Azteca will integrate FansXR’s extended reality platform to allow sports broadcast viewers to choose their own viewing angle, leveraging complete control of multiple 360-degree and 2D cameras from digital devices via a web browser.

FansXR, an immersive digital entertainment company enabling fan-controlled views and gamification of live sports and entertainment broadcasts on second screens in augmented reality and in the metaverse, today announced an agreement with Mexico’s TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: AZTECACPO Latibex: XTZA), one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world, to deliver first-of-its-kind viewing experiences of Mexican sports and entertainment broadcasts.

TV Azteca will integrate FansXR’s extended reality platform to allow viewers of select, future TV Azteca sports and entertainment broadcasts to choose their own viewing angle, leveraging full control of multiple 360-degree and 2D cameras from digital devices via a web browser. Fans will also be able to view and interact with computer vision-powered player statistic overlays, as well as a selection of fan engagement functions including live chat, polling, merchandise, and betting.

Additionally, FansXR and TV Azteca will collaborate with sports and entertainment properties to unlock new second-screen advertising and sponsorship opportunities. TV Azteca Deportes – which owns professional football club Mazatlán F.C. – carries select matches from Liga MX, FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, Copa América, CONCACAF Gold Cup, the NFL, boxing, and lucha libre. As the top provider of sporting entertainment in Mexico, TV Azteca will utilize its experience in broadcasting premier events to improve the fan experience for millions of subscribers.

Guillermo Wilkins, CEO of TV Azteca Studios, said, “We have a unique opportunity to bring a new cutting-edge product to Mexico. Sports and entertainment audiences will have a personalized viewing experience while fans are offered an innovative way to engage with immersive content. This will also allow sponsors and advertisers a new way to approach their clients and fans in a way that only could happen when working with FansXR.”

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Matt Coleman, Co-Founder and CEO of FansXR, added, “The team at TV Azteca recognizes that fan engagement technologies are critical to the health of sports broadcasts, and that the future of watching games is now available. Today’s media landscape pressures sports leagues and broadcasters to find new ways to drive viewership, interactivity and media revenue. Thanks to advancements in computer vision technology, FansXR has the ability to offer a solution that keeps fans watching games longer through multiple camera angles, and real-time betting, gamification, and interactivity seamlessly integrated onto one screen in 5G.”

FansXR and TV Azteca’s partnership will serve as a best practice reference for the global sports market on how to simultaneously appeal to casual and avid sports fans in-venue and at home by offering complementary experiences. Recent consumer research affirms the need for this approach: Per Cisco’s “The New Fan Experience is Here,” more than 80% of fans desire a more immersive and content-rich experience when attending a live event, while a recent report from Deloitte indicated that 77% of all fans participate in at least one sports-related activity concurrently while watching a game at home.

Today’s announcement follows a series of successful in-stadium pilot activations that took place earlier in 2023 in Mexican sporting venues. FansXR and TV Azteca worked on-site in collaboration with local telecommunication companies and stadium management to test the technology and implement 5G, ensuring fans at the game and at home can experience the best of the FansXR platform with industry-best latency.

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