Intel Investing In The Future of Sports

During their CES presentation this year, computer processing company Intel announced some new endeavors involving the world of sports that could be transformative.

Its first announcement addressed new ways to watch a sports match-up. freeD technology would give sports fans at home or spectators at an arena the ability to watch a sporting event in any angle you want. Fans would have the ability to control their view and create a custom made clip based on their view. The technology has been used in the past at Yankee Stadium and Braves Stadium.

There were no announcements made at the presentation about whether any of the major sports networks would be willing to make this technology available to its consumers online but the example used was an NBA game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. With Turner making its presence known at CES on Thursday, a potential partnership could be at bay if the two sides meet this week. Intel is already co-producing an unscripted show alongside Turner known as America's Greatest Makers.

Intel also announced a partnership with another NBA rightsholder, ESPN. The network's president John Skipper even made an appearance at the event to promote the value of Intel to ESPN's X Games coverage. Intel will install chips onto snowboards which will measure real-time data that can be used on air and by the athletes for personal usage. Intel also made a similar deal with Red Bull Media, a company that has a great deal of extreme sporting events of its own.

Could ESPN's close relationship with Intel lead to freeD technology and data accumulation being implemented in its other major sports broadcasts? One can only hope so.

The most exciting announcement from Intel for me was their partnership with the Grammy's and Lady Gaga. The group is collectively producing a performance during the show in February that is expected to mix technology with music in "ground-breaking" ways. No one knows what it means yet but it sounds like must see TV.

Here is more from Intel's press release:

• Intel announced a collaboration with ESPN to showcase the latest technology set to add new levels of data-powered insights to the feats of athleticism at X Games Aspen 2016. The tiny, low power Intel® Curie™ module will be integrated into the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and Men’s Snowboard Big Air competitions to provide real-time data on athlete performance such as in-air rotations, jump height, jump distance, speed, and force on landing. This access to new data will provide athletes with greater insights into their performance, provide additional metrics for on-air analysts, and change the fan experience both at home and in the stands. The competitions will be televised on ESPN and ABC***.
• Intel and Red Bull Media House announced a global partnership that will extend into multiple genres and platforms. Red Bull Media House CTO Andreas Gall joined Krzanich on stage to demonstrate how athletes and spectators can get information about the performance instantly with the help of Intel Curie technology, with the promise of more announcements to come in 2016 and beyond.
• Intel is working with Replay Technologies* to deliver completely new viewing experiences for sports fans on broadcast, in the stadium, and in the home. Using Replay’s freeD™ technology optimized for Intel platforms, sports fans will be able to re-watch key moments of sporting events from nearly every conceivable angle and share a custom created clip with the world. FreeD takes advantage of 6th Generation Intel® Core™ processors and Intel server technology that has been optimized to deliver this immersive entertainment experience.

Changing the Landscape of Health and Wellness:

• Intel and New Balance announced a strategic collaboration to develop wearable technologies that connect athletes with technology to improve their athletic performance as part of New Balance’s newly formed Digital Sport division. Krzanich and New Balance CEO, Rob DeMartini, wore running shoes featuring customized 3-D printed midsoles enabled by Intel® RealSense™ technology and disclosed plans to develop a smart sport watch available for the 2016 holiday season***.
• Oakley and Intel previewed the first look at “Radar Pace” – smart eyewear featuring a voice-activated, real-time coaching system. Oakley is the first Luxottica Group* brand that Intel is working with to fuse premium, luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology. Engineered with Intel Innovation and crafted with Oakley’s high-quality design and materials, the smart eyewear is designed to provide runners, cyclists and workout enthusiasts with in-the-moment feedback and analytics, helping to track progress and improve real-time performance***.

Unleashing Creativity:

• Six-time GRAMMY®-winning global music icon Lady Gaga announced today her first collaboration with Intel, in association with Intel's announcement of a multiyear partnership between Intel and The Recording Academy® as part of the official "Next Generation of GRAMMY® Moments" program that will launch during Grammy week February 2016. Lady Gaga commented: "Intel has enlisted Haus of Gaga to work together on a project that will showcase technology through creativity at the highest level. The partnership culminates in a ground-breaking collaboration that inspires to remind the world of the seed of innovation." While Lady Gaga will not perform new material as part of the program, she promises to deliver an experience not to be forgotten.
• MGM Television Group* and Digital President Mark Burnett joined Krzanich onstage to provide a sneak peek at the innovators vying to turn their ideas into reality – from improving health monitoring to communicating in new ways to testing the limits of our imagination – in the new competition series, America's Greatest Makers. Premiering this spring on TBS*, America’s Greatest Makers is part of a larger initiative that includes coverage on CNN.com*, Bleacher Report* and other Turner* digital brands. They also launched the Digital Hub at www.americasgreatestmakers.com, which spotlights inventors, new innovations and tech tutorials, as well as unique, weekly digital content.