The BBC is bringing live coverage of all 33 of its licensed World Cup 2018 matches from Russia to a new dedicated app, dubbed BBC Sport VR – FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. The app will support Gear VR, Oculus Go, PlayStation VR, and Google Cardboard; as with all BBC iPlayer content, it’s likely to be region locked to the UK though.
“Users will be transported to a fully immersive stadium experience, through headsets, as if they are sitting in their own hospitality box,” reports BBC Sports.
The VR app is said hit the respective app stores closer to the first match, which starts on June 14th with the Russia vs. Saudi Arabia match to kick it off.
User can expect a wide range of supporting content in the app, including live match stats that pop-up from the virtual coffee table, and different camera angles so users can watch from a standard viewing position, or sit behind either one of the goals to get up-close and personal with the goal keeper. A daily highlights package and other on-demand content will also be available through the app on multiple virtual big screen TVs in the VR environment.
Both the BBC and ITV hold exclusive rights to transmit the World Cup in the UK, while US viewers will rely on coverage from Fox, Telemundo and NBC Universo, making international streaming a strong unlikelihood.
VR users outside the UK might investigate BigScreen VR for less formal transmissions of World Cup 2018 coverage, as the screen sharing app lets you watch anything on your monitor and share it with other user in VR regardless of their location.
