World Cup VR Viewing Offered

As the World Cup soccer tournament grows in popularity worldwide, Chinese internet platforms are rushing to join the carnival. They want to compete for the massive sports fans community in the country by providing a "Metaverse-like" viewing experience enabled by 5G and virtual reality (VR).

China-based technology firms are reportedly developing technology to allow Chinese soccer fans to enjoy the FIFA World Cup in the Metaverse VR.

The efforts are part of the Chinese government's five-year plan released in early November to boost the capabilities and advancement of the local virtual reality (VR) industry.

The World Cup is being used as a testbed for the emerging tech by China's nascent VR industry. On 1 November, the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other agencies unveiled an ambitious plan to accelerate the development of the VR industry, intending to exceed 350 billion yuan ($48.1 billion) in total industrial scale by 2026.

The plan establishes an overall goal of breakthroughs in core technologies such as three-dimensionality and improving the ecosystem so that VR can be used to promote economic development.

The stated plans do not mention whether the Metaverse will use blockchain technology, such as the one proposed by Wuhan city, which was later revised to remove any mention of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Companies to broadcast World Cup VR

Chinese streaming platform Migu, a subsidiary of China Mobile, and Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, are two major firms to broadcast the event. The two streaming platforms have sub-licensed rights to broadcast live and on-demand coverage of the Qatar World Cup via VR. They will share digital coverage of the events with China Media Group, a state-owned broadcaster.

According to reports, Migu and Douyin paid a "sky-high" amount for the broadcasting rights. Only six mainland Chinese channels, including Migu China Mobile and Douyin, were permitted to broadcast World Cup matches in Metaverse VR.

Pico, a VR headset maker owned by tech company ByteDance, announced on Monday that users could watch live World Cup broadcasts through its VR goggles. Soccer fans can invite friends to their virtual rooms to watch matches and interact with virtual anchors.