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OZ Sports uses Augmented Reality to put football fans at the heart of closed-door broadcasts

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OZ Sports uses Augmented Reality to put football fans at the heart of closed-door broadcasts
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OZ Sports partners with RVX to launch OZ ARENA, using innovative AR technologies that are set to bring fans from home into live broadcasts when football resumes in the wake of COVID-19.

Virtual fans can personalise their experience with their own avatars, club shirts, genuine cheers from home via an app – and even appear in their preferred seat.

OZ ARENA while standalone, also forms part of the OZ Connected Stadium, the one-stop-solution for leagues and federations to augment their sports by capturing, enhancing and distributing content.

Throughout history, there have been pivotal moments of disruption that have completely redefined the norm. Coronavirus is accelerating change, almost subconsciously, that will completely change the face of business, industry, our entire daily life, including sport.

When football returns post-lockdown, it will be in unprecedented circumstances. For the millions of match-starved fans around the world, there won’t be a quick fix to live match withdrawal symptoms once Coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Yet, there are opportunities for federations, leagues and broadcasters to transform and revolutionise the home viewing experience.

Venues might be physically deserted, but through cutting edge augmented reality and visual effects – the likes of which have been embraced in the world of esports and streaming – fans will still be able to be at the heart of the action. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Introducing the new game: welcome to OZ ARENA.

OZ Sports and RVX, whose most recent work has been seen in various Hollywood blockbuster movies and TV series, are rolling out new technology and services for rights-holders of leagues to make the experience more engaging for the fans.

With the new solution, which also integrates into the wider OZ Connected Stadium, spectators can be dynamically added to live broadcasts with the use of advanced augmented reality technology. Fans can pick their avatar, club’s shirt, have their face painted, and even appear in the stadium in their favourite seat. Fans can also get their voice heard, by participating as either audio-only or with immersive visual participation in the live broadcast.

OZ ARENA tech can either completely replace the stadium entirely or augment spectators into existing empty stadiums. The process is added to each camera feed in the workflow opening up support for multi-camera processing.

OZ ARENA has advanced audio support, where fans can use an app to add live audio to the broadcast. The servers aggregate all fan audio, using low-latency time synchronisation and AI algorithms, to manage volume levels, enabling fans to yell as loudly as they like remotely, without overpowering the audio stream. These solutions enable broadcasts to maintain full integrity and sound effects during fan-free games.

“Due to Coronavirus, we will see more games to be played behind closed doors with bans on large-scale public events. It is our job to keep the experience still as exciting as during the non-pandemic world. We do that by learning from esports, bringing new exciting elements into the real-world broadcasts. Our augmentation filters can be customised based on the branding strategy and the creative plan of the league,” said Gudjon Gudjonsson, CEO of OZ Sports.

“The idea is to protect the integrity and experience of the game, by turning the attention away from the empty stadium, and instead replacing it with appealing surroundings to make the game more interesting, and as close to reality as possible. These are times to explore and experiment, to make sports even more appealing and to bring it closer to the latest developments in esports” continued Gudjonsson.

“We have brought together world-class 3D visual artists, developers and technologists, with a range of honours and awards – including numerous Emmys, VES and D&AD Awards,” said Dadi Einarsson, CEO of RVX. He continues: “The team for this solution has previously delivered visual effects for blockbusters films, TV, video games and VR projects including Everest, Gravity, The OA, 2 Guns and Sherlock Holmes. Our experience with AAA quality visuals coupled with cutting edge AI and AR solutions put us in the perfect spot.”

The AI and machine learning team include PhDs and specialists on both player and ball tracking that have developed a low-latency perception framework for a detailed semantic understanding of sports games. This framework is a combination of state-of-the-art object detectors, trackers and classifiers which are trained to perform in sports environments. OZ Sports technology can uncover the true state-space of the sport and infer meaningful sport-specific abstractions from the game from velocity vectors in a 3-dimensional space.

The OZ ARENA solution can be applied to live production as a per-match service. It supports both audio-only and the full immersive audio-visual solution. The OZ ARENA system is an integrated part of the OZ Connected Stadium, and can also be installed at broadcaster’s facility, OB truck, or at the stadium.

Rights-holders and broadcasters can contact OZ Sports for quotes on deployments by visiting www.oz.com.

 

About OZ Sports:

OZ Sports mission is to give every sports league affordable technologies to create immersive and spectacular video experiences with no sacrifice in quality.

Centred around our global roll-out of the OZ Connected Stadium system at sports venues worldwide. A simple, one-time setup, offering sports leagues an outstanding fan experience with exceptional production, VAR, visual augmentations, player tracking, and global distribution via branded apps.

Industry News

LiveScore Group Announces Internal Restructuring as Part of Sustainable Growth Strategy

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LiveScore Group has announced an internal restructuring process, expected to impact more than 100 existing roles across multiple business locations, including London.

The changes are seen as a difficult yet important step for LiveScore Group, streamlining the business to create improved structures and a pathway to long-term sustainable growth. All impacted employees have been informed and are now subject to a confidential consultation process.

Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group, said: “On behalf of all Directors of LiveScore Group, and the relevant subsidiary companies, we are saddened by the difficult decision to commence an internal restructure of the business, a process which impacts a significant number of our people.

“Whilst we celebrate our recent period of significant and exciting growth, we must now future-proof the organisation and ensure our internal structures allow us to achieve long-term and sustainable success.

“This is a hard time for all our people, as we say goodbye to colleagues who have played an important role in our journey across recent years.”

The announcement follows on from the recent news that LiveScore Malta Limited (part of LiveScore Group) is to withdraw its LiveScore Bet brand from the Netherlands following recent government tax increases in the market. The announcement includes those impacted by this. There will be no other customer impact in respect of any of the remaining LiveScore, LiveScore Bet or Virgin Bet sites globally.

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Pronet Gaming Appoints Alex Karaoulis as its New Commercial & Product Strategy Lead

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Pronet Gaming, an award-winning platform provider of full turnkey solutions, announced the appointment of Alexandros Karaoulis as its new Commercial & Product Strategy Lead.

With over 14 years of experience in the iGaming industry, Karaoulis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be instrumental in driving the company’s strategic initiatives forward.

Throughout his iGaming career, Karaoulis has held various senior roles with B2B sportsbook and casino providers, as well as with B2C operators. His extensive background in marketing and sales within the iGaming sector positions him as a true industry expert, ensuring that Pronet Gaming remains at the forefront of innovation in a rapidly evolving market.

“I am thrilled to join Pronet Gaming and excited to fulfill my role in developing and executing sales strategies to drive the company’s revenue growth in key markets,” Karaoulis said.

With a track record in commercial strategies and driving product excellence, Karaoulis’ appointment is invaluable as Pronet Gaming now seeks to expand its footprint to Asia. His vision and deep understanding of the iGaming landscape equip him to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities that the dynamic region presents.

“I want Pronet Gaming to lead the iGaming revolution by providing innovative, culturally tailored solutions that cater to the diverse and rapidly growing demands of the region. Through strategic partnerships, cutting-edge technology, and a deep understanding of local markets, we aim to empower operators to offer world-class gaming experiences that engage players and drive sustainable growth,” he added.

According to Karaoulis, Pronet Gaming is poised to make a splash in Asia by leveraging its advanced technology, flexible platform solutions and deep market expertise while adapting to the unique characteristics of the region.

“The key differentiation point of Pronet Gaming is that we have B2C experience, which greatly aids in understanding the needs of operators and helping them to improve and execute their strategy according to the market. I have worked in B2C roles for more than seven years in my iGaming Career and managed campaigns across various channels, optimised conversion funnels, and learned to use data to improve player acquisition and retention,” said Karaoulis.

Karaoulis acknowledges that the marketing skills he has acquired from B2C experience are valuable in every B2B environment. As he dives into his new role at Pronet Gaming, Karaoulis aims to guide his operator clients on how to better market their own sites, including providing them with advice on effective acquisition strategies, content marketing and campaign structures that appeal to iGaming audiences.

“I also focus heavily on engagement strategies, loyalty programs, bonuses, and personalised offers to keep players active and returning. In my new B2B role, I will advise clients on best practices for player engagement, helping them adopt effective loyalty programs, personalised marketing, and retention tactics that drive player lifetime value to improve the end-player experience for our clients’ sites,” Karaoulis added.

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Vbet Wins Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at SiGMA Europe 2024

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Vbet has been crowned the Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at the highly coveted SiGMA Europe event, cementing its position as a leader in the online gaming industry.

This achievement highlights Vbet’s commitment to providing an exceptional user experience by combining cutting-edge technology with a vast range of options and a secure process. The dedication to creating a responsible, enjoyable environment for players was recognised with this award, making this accolade even more significant. As Vbet continue to expand into new markets, the list of strategic partnerships grows alongside our constant drive to expand its offering. This award serves as a stepping stone on its path to reach more players and set new standards in the industry.

Arman Khachatryan, VBET’s Managing Director, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive the Best Online Casino Operator award at SiGMA Europe 2024. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, passion, and effort of our entire team. Our mission has always been to deliver the highest quality experience in the safest environment possible to our users. This award not only recognizes our dedication to this mission but also motivates us to continue expanding into new markets and territories.”

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