Key sporting events bet on the metaverse

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar allowed companies to innovate and bring new content to football fans. According to research commissioned by a cloud services provider, which surveyed the audiences who planned to watch the event, viewers were largely ready for a new era of interactive entertainment offerings. They were willing to pay for digital products and services that made their experience more enjoyable.

Viewers expressed interest in being part of a virtual stadium where they could watch football matches with other fans as if they were there. Gen-Z and millennials were the most interested. Those surveyed generally expressed a growing desire for more interactive experiences like 360° live video of the game, interactive in-game challenges and different AR/VR experiences. Companies certainly responded to the demand for more VR and immersion in the games, judging by the products launched during or just before the World Cup.

Standards organizations are paving the way for several of these technologies to be used safely and efficiently. They prepare standards for electronic displays and are working on publications which specify the requirements for e-sports and gaming displays, VR viewing (for instance IEC 63145-1-2), Organizations are also publishing standards for audio, video and multimedia equipment, including TV sets. 

However, the race is on to create a common language for the metaverse, allowing the user to go from website to website and device to device on the internet. That’s where standards organizations have a role to play.