Star Sports collaborates with Airtel to bring the ‘ultimate fan’ to air during IPL 2023 via the power of 5G
During IPL 2023 Star Sports collaborated with Airtel and agency partner INK IN CAPS during IPL 2023 to launch the ‘Airtel 5G Plus Ultimate Fan Initiative’ on Cricket Live, demonstrating the possibilities of 5G technology to support the streaming of large volumes of 3D data in real time in order to provide next generation connected fan entertainment experiences to delight our audiences.
Using a combination of 3D scanning, high quality photogrammetry, game engines and realtime 5G streaming technology, photorealistic avatars were created and controlled in real time via motion capture in order to teleport fans to the studios for interactions with cricketing experts on live TV.
This project allowed us to imagine a tangible future where geographical and socio-economic divides are overcome via 3D streaming technology and fans can connect with their favourite sports stars and commentators with a sense of presence and immersivity never seen before.
The engagement, part of Star Sports’ constant efforts to bring fans closer to their favourite teams and players, was a first of its kind for Sports Broadcast. It won several metals at the 2023 WOW awards, picking up a gold for innovation in augmented reality and two bronzes for AR/VR technologies and content of the year and Promotion/activation for branding awareness respectively.
IPL 2023 created history by clocking a massive 505 million reach which is 4.5x of Superbowl Final viewership & more than the combined population of countries like US & UK. To amplify this campaign further, Star Sports created co-branded promos to promote it during high impact Strategic time-out ad breaks of live matches & Airtel sent out customised tune-in messages to 2.5 million customers to block their calendar for this never-seen-before activity on live television.
“For us at Star Sports, the sports fan has always been at the core of all our innovations. By collaborating with Airtel 5G Plus, we have been able to deliver a delightful experience for several fans, while creating a disruption that has never been seen before on Indian television. Our commitment to innovate and leverage it to drive unparalleled impact for brands will always be unrelenting,” said Ajit Varghese, Head of Network – Ad Sales, Disney Star.