BT and Orange are using virtual reality technology to tempt consumers with a range of dedicated content.
In the UK, BT Sport is filming Saturday’s clash between Chelsea and Arsenal in VR and offering people in four EE stores the chance to watch it.
The operator is providing VR headsets and tablets for people to use as it looks to cement a link between the products of BT and EE, which it acquired earlier this year.
Since July, pay-monthly and SIM-only EE customers have been given the chance to sign up for six months free access to BT Sport.
Marc Allera, CEO of EE, said: “We know that our customers love watching sport on the go and that’s why they love the fact they can now enjoy the BT Sport app as part of their EE plan.
“This fantastic VR trial of BT Sport in four flagship London stores is yet another example of the additional benefits and unique experiences our customers will enjoy now we are part of the wider BT Group.”
The UK-based company is not just looking at VR tech.
Earlier this month, BT Sport became the first company to sign up to trial Ericsson’s Piero Augmented Reality service.
Meanwhile, subscribers to Orange’s TV and video service OCS can watch programmes using Samsung’s Gear VR and Sony’s PlayStation VR from October.
In December, the France-based operator will launch “Orange VR Experience,” a trial of native VR content rom the likes of Twentieth Century Fox Innovation Lab and Warner Bros.
The pilot will run for a period of six months in France and will be extended to other European countries at a future date, Orange said.
The trial is being carried out in partnership with Wevr, a start-up that Orange invested in through its Orange Digital Ventures arm.
Guillaume Lacroix, SVP Partnerships and Services TV & Video at Orange’s Content Division, said: “At Orange, we see virtual reality as a new medium that’s still in its infancy: everything from the software and technology, to the development of new uses and the development of a business model is still a work in progress.
“We’re looking at the space to better understand the new ways that content will be delivered and consumed in the future as this will impact our activities as a mobile network operator and Internet service provider.”
Source: http://www.eurocomms.com/industry-news/11821-bt-orange-tempt-consumers-with-virtual-reality-projects