Fox Sports, NextVR Drive Virtual Reality Experience at U.S. Open

With continued emphasis on innovation, next-generation technology, and a knack for being on the cutting edge in their respective fields of expertise, Fox Sports – through its Fox Sports Lab initiative and partnership with NextVR – teams with Lexus to deliver expanded virtual reality offerings from the 116th U.S. Open Championship. The package is highlighted by live-streaming presentations from four of historic Oakmont Country Club’s most challenging holes June 16-19.

“At Fox Sports, we focus on helping partners align with the development and utility of technology, which naturally produces unique storytelling and content offerings,” says Neil Mulcahy, EVP, Fox Sports Ad Sales, Sports Management.  “We are connected across the company as we capitalize on innovative thinking, and our partners are at the center of that collaboration.”

Featuring more than 36 hours of live golf action across the Fox broadcast network and FS1, in addition to three distinct alternate live streams adding 110 hours of coverage on Fox Sports GO, Fox Sports continues to bring record-setting live coverage to the national championship.

As part of the program, Lexus is the presenting sponsor of a live, multi-camera VR effort offered by Fox Sports and NextVR. It includes cameras stationed at holes 9, 17, and 18, with roving capability between neighboring holes 10 and 12. As part of the VR lineup, packaged VOD is scheduled to consist of players on the practice range each morning, narrated content on the history of Oakmont, two-minute “golf tips” and pre-produced features of each hole.

“One thing that has always made me proud to be a part of the team here at FOX Sports has been the commitment to being on the front end of technology that changes the way we watch sports on television,” says Fox Sports USGA play-by-play announcer Joe Buck. “It’s really a good marriage and it’s exciting to know that we’re always looking for what is next and what is going to make the experience better for the viewers.”

The VR effort is the next in a series of Fox Sports/Fox Sports Lab events broadcast in virtual reality in 2016, including the Daytona 500, a Premier Boxing Champions title fight and the Big East basketball tournament. Earlier this year, Fox Sports signed a five-year deal with NextVR to explore all of the possibilities the evolving technology delivers in the world of live sports broadcasting.

How to watch the Fox Sports U.S. Open experience in virtual reality
Fox Sports’ U.S. Open virtual reality broadcast will be available free through the NextVR portal. Samsung Gear VR owners can download the NextVR app on any Gear VR headset compatible phones. For detailed instructions, go to www.nextvr.com/gearvr-live.