The NHL is partnering with Sony’s Hawk-Eye to reinforce host and fan engagement via participant monitoring, digital broadcasting and potential VR experiences.
NHL Hawkeye commerce
The NHL has doubled Hawkeye Expertise and has signed a multi-year take care of Sony, integrating subtle monitoring instruments that might dramatically change host selections and fan experiences throughout the game.
With the league’s new settlement, Sony will turn out to be an official companion of NHL know-how, increasing past Hawk-Eye’s prompt replay to real-time monitoring, participant rankings, and immersive digital content material (corresponding to automated offside critiques and VR fan experiences).
“This partnership is now Camval throughout their firm in a method that impacts everybody in our neighborhood,” mentioned David Lehanski, NHL EVP of Enterprise Growth and Innovation.
What’s Hawkeye Expertise in Hockey?
Hawk-Eye Improvements has revolutionized the hosts of a wide range of sports activities, particularly tennis and cricket, and is now serving to the NHL map any motion on the ice. Use a second gentle monitoring system with hawk-eye monitoring.
-
29 factors for every participant
-
3 factors on all sticks
This knowledge supplies extra gas than replays. It will probably facilitate real-time visualization, efficiency evaluation and instantly help in automated rule enforcement, corresponding to offside and purpose line calls.
All 32 NHL arenas are geared up with Hawkeye setups, permitting for league-wide standardization of monitoring capabilities.
Does the NHL use AI for offside and purpose evaluation?
Sure – or a minimum of, it is significantly thought of.
The league is assessing whether or not Hawk-Eye’s participant monitoring knowledge can help real-time automated hosts with each offside violations and goal confirmations.
Nonetheless, the pace and fluidity of hockey poses distinctive challenges in comparison with sports activities like soccer and soccer. In keeping with the NHL, they’re nonetheless testing their feasibility.
Nonetheless, the imaginative and prescient is obvious. Quickest and extra correct presidency selections that drive know-how already confirmed in different main leagues, together with the NFL and European soccer.
How does NHL participant monitoring enhance the fan expertise?
This is not only for the MC. Hawkeye enlargement permits you to redefine hockey viewing at residence.
This is what followers can anticipate:
-
Animated broadcasts for kids already in use
-
Digital actuality evaluation with analysts like PK Subban coming into immersive, 360-degree replays
-
An online-based interactive expertise that permits followers to manage digicam angles and even “replay” giant playback.
-
Recreation integrations corresponding to Roblox activation (over 1 million customers have been seen within the first month)
Sony plans to reap the benefits of the broader ecosystem, from PlayStation VR to Sony pictures and music.
“We wish to usher in Better of PlayStation, Better of Sony Music and Sony Footage to take the sports activities trade to a brand new degree,” mentioned Rufus Hack, CEO of Hawkeye, Pillcerib and Past Sports activities.
Can NHL followers watch the sport in VR?
It is not that but, however that future is coming quickly.
Sony’s Past Sports activities Division is working with the NHL to set phases for VR fan experiences on platforms such because the PlayStation and recreate video games digitally in actual time.
In the end, the followers:
-
Watch video games in VR with full mobility
-
Toggles the primary particular person view of the participant
-
Take part in a digital watch occasion or coaching simulation
The historical past of the NHL with Hawkeye
The NHL has partnered with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Tech since 2015 and has initially used it for prolonged video replay critiques. Over time, the partnership has expanded to incorporate real-time skeletal monitoring and enhanced broadcasting.
The NHL’s status as early high-tech adopters has turn out to be a case examine for different leagues investigating related options, from NFL line to achieve cameras to automated methods in European soccer.