TORONTO – Bell announced today that it has partnered with Snap Inc. to bring the “first ever” 5G-powered augmented reality basketball experience on the social media app for Toronto Raptors fans at home court.
The Bell 5G Shot Block AR lens will be available in the Snapchat app, where fans can play games against each other as if they were playing on the professional court, including a pop-a-shot style game where players try to score as many basketballs in the net as possible.
“Fans in Scotiabank Arena with a 5G device will be able to join a shared AR experience for the first time, where they can team up and compete against each other, shooting hoops like the pros in real time,” a press release said.
The lens will be available for a limited time starting tonight, when the Raptors take on the New York Knicks. It will be available for three more games after that, including on January 21, February 10, and March 18.
The app is a test of Bell’s 5G capabilities. “The Bell 5G Shot Clock Challenge on Snapchat leverages the unprecedented speed, latency and bandwidth capabilities of 5G enabling several thousand players to connect at once,” the release said.
“There is a highly engaged community watching and talking about sports on Snapchat – and with our more than 6 billion AR Lens plays per day, we see a demand for more immersive experiences to complement and enhance the real world,” Matt McGowan, general manager of Snap Inc. in Canada said in the release.
