Putting sports fans first: insights from Intel

• Author: James Carwana
• Position: General Manager Intel Sports, Vice President of Intel Capital, Santa Clara, California, United States

When innovations are introduced, the fan is able to see more views and get access to more data, ultimately resulting in a more customized experience. Take, for example, the iconic yellow line in American football. The first down marker changed the way fans viewed the National Football League (NFL) in the United States so profoundly that it’s hard to imagine a time when there wasn’t a yellow line. That technology went on to win an Emmy award.

Immersive media technology continues to create more opportunities for sports teams and leagues to put the fan first. Technology promises to completely revolutionize every aspect of sports – from athlete performance and the fan experience to the business and operational successes of major leagues and sporting events. This includes:

delivering enhanced at-home and in-person experiences to give fans more control of the way they view content;

providing broadcasters with the ability to share a new level of insight into the game and new ways to tell the story;

empowering sports organizations to maximize their success on and off the field by boosting their strategic insights and game-day experiences.

Pushing the boundaries of possibility

Intel is at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of what is possible through our cutting-edge designs, features, and capabilities. Our core technologies in volumetric video capture and processing, expertise in immersive productions for live sports, and Intel’s unmatched data processing capabilities, will enable new immersive experiences across all forms of entertainment, including sports, film, television and music.

Technology promises to completely revolutionize every aspect of sports – from athlete performance and the fan experience to the business and operational successes of major leagues and sporting events.

Intel protects the intellectual property (IP) at the heart of these innovations through its robust patent program. While the immersive media patent applications currently represent a small portion of Intel’s portfolio, which comprises roughly 90,000 patents and patent applications worldwide, Intel believes these patents will punch above their weight class in view of the revolutionary nature of our technologies in this space. IP and its protection remain critical to Intel’s business, and patents are an important part of that protection. We support a strong patent system that generates high quality patents, which means robust examination systems and even post...