While many sports fans will be keen to tell you that nothing is quite as good as seeing a game live, for a variety of reasons, its no always possible to make it to the stadium. To get sports fans closer to the action was where LiveLike began, using virtual reality (VR) to bring sports to life. The company has now announced a successful Series B funding round.
LiveLike offers a merger between watching sports in VR and interacting with fellow fans using social media. The new injection of $9.6 million (USD) was led by Greycroft Partners and Lepe Partners, who join existing investors such as former NBA commissioner David Stern, Evolution Media, Courtside Ventures and Elysian Park in supporting the start-up.
Users of LiveLike can enter a ‘virtual suite’ that looks out over a given sporting event which resembles the executive boxes available at some stadiums and arenas. The VR environment allows users to connect with other fans using Facebook. Users are able to select a preferred camera angle, or access stats, highlights or replays as though they were controlling their own broadcast.
Previously, LiveLike has worked with broadcasters and rights holders such as Fox Sports and the French Tennis Federation, hosting a total of 76 events on its platform in 2017 including the UEFA Champion’s League Final, the French Open tennis tournament and the NCAA Basketball Big East Tournament.
The company says that it plans to use its new funding to expand partnerships and further improve the product and platform to not only make it simpler to use, but also add new features such as Fantasy Sports leagues.
“Thanks to our investors, we are now in a position to hire for key positions and continue delivering a premier next-generation sports [over-the-top] platform,” Andre Lorenceau, founder and CEO of LiveLike, said in announcing the funding.
For further news on new and innovative uses of VR in sports and other sectors, keep checking VRFocus.
via Mint VR