TORONTO – Sportsnet and Molson Canadian are teaming up to bring hockey fans a a virtual front-row seat to six NHL matchups through live 360 Virtual Reality (VR).
The companies said Wednesday that fans will be able to watch the games live in 360 VR on Sportsnet.ca and the Sportsnet app by using special virtual reality viewfinders available exclusively in select cases of Molson Canadian across Canada.
For six consecutive Saturday night hockey broadcasts starting February 18, three different 360 VR cameras will be used during the games, allowing viewers to experience the live action on the ice and take in the arena’s atmosphere plus watch behind-the-scenes footage from select NHL teams and on-demand highlight videos, all in 360 VR.
“We are continually pushing innovation at Sportsnet to give sports fans the best and most immersive experience,” said Sportnet’s VP of production Rob Corte, in the news release. “Together with Molson, we are at the forefront of another ‘first’ for hockey fans, and are excited to bring them this unique viewing experience.”
“Molson Canadian is known for bringing epic hockey experiences to the people who love our beer, and we understand that hockey fans across the country may never a get a chance to sit front row during a Saturday night game”, added Molson Canadian marketing manager Duncan Fraser. “So now we are bringing the front row to you, live during some key hockey match-ups as we enter the playoff stretch of this season. We’re creating an experience for Canadians to celebrate their love of the game like never before!”
Canadians of legal drinking age will get their own virtual reality kit when they purchase specially marked cases of Molson Canadian, available nationally while quantities last, at participating local retailers (retailers vary per region across the country.) The kit includes a VR headset and unique pin code to access all the VR content, and instructions to download the VR compatible mobile Sportsnet app available on the App Store and Google Play.
For more information, including the VR game schedule, click here.
