The 2016 MLS Cup will be a night of firsts for the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC, but it will also offer a first in broadcasting.
This week, FOX Sports and MLS announced a deal between the broadcaster and virtual reality company LiveLike to broadcast Saturday's MLS Cup between TFC and the Sounders on the FOX Sports VR app, with the arrangement sponsored by Audi. It's the first time MLS Cup will be broadcast in virtual reality.
During the match, viewers can choose to watch any of five camera angles with or without a headset. They can also enter a “virtual suite” with access to rosters and live stats. The presentation includes a “magic window” experience for iOS and Android, as well as fully immersive VR on both cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.
The match will also include a first-of-its-kind VR replay feature for iOS users, allowing viewers to rewind the game in 30-second increments going as far back as 30-minutes, as well as the ability to control replays from different camera angles.
Audi’s presenting sponsorship gives it in-suite branding, an in-suite Audi car and real time delivery of each player’s Audi Player Index score - a performance-based number, calculated by combining in-game metrics.
Fans can access the MLS game by downloading and installing the FOX Sports VR app and signing in with their television provider credentials.
Besides the FOX Sports VR app, you can watch 2016 MLS Cup on Saturday on FOX and UniMás in the US, and on TSN and RDS in Canada. FOX's coverage kicks off at 7:30 pm ET.
