Many experts predict that virtual reality devices will soon become as popular and functional as mobile phones. With the help of such devices, users can watch movies and TV shows, attend public events and make purchases. It means that virtual reality will significantly expand the capabilities of small and large businesses. However, VR projects can not only create conceptually new markets but also expand the existing ones. Let’s study it on the relevant example.
Online Broadcasting
Live events are another key area for the development of VR technologies. Thanks to VR, users will be able to feel the effect of real presence at events of various scales. Unlike in the sexlikereal app, where the users experience an individual approach, it will be possible to solve the problem of buying expensive tickets during mass events.
The most interesting matches and concerts can be visited from any part of the planet, sitting in a comfortable chair in the living room. Meanwhile, world mass media take their own attempts to implement VR in their broadcasting. For instance, CNN has already carried out a live broadcast of the US Democratic presidential debate in virtual reality format.
Possible Number of Users
The number of users can be calculated using statistics of past events in the usual format:
- 715 million viewers watched the broadcast of the World Cup in 2006.
- 160 million viewers watched the broadcast of the final game of the Super Bowl Championship in 2015.
- ESPN has approximately 92 million subscribers.
Meanwhile, the representatives of HBO and Showtime said that 4.4 million viewers paid $100 each for the exclusive viewing of the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. More than 750 million viewers watched the wedding ceremony of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It also proves that not only sports can be broadcast successfully in virtual reality.
Possible Profit
According to Goldman Sachs, the profit from providing broadcasts in the virtual reality will increase to $4.1 billion in 2025. Accordingly, we can come up with calculating the possible income:
- Over time, the VR event broadcasting will become a very popular service — 30% of the total number of virtual reality users. By 2025, a massive increase in the popularity of the service is expected up to 95 million people.
- Sports fans attend two events a year on average, but in 2025 this number will increase to four. Each season, the NBA holds 82 games. There are 162 broadcasts of games per season by the largest baseball league MLB.
- Tickets usually cost around $10, but there are also exceptions. The price of a ticket for popular matches can reach up to $100.
Finally, no one expects that VR projects will completely replace the sale of real tickets. Instead, the technology will create a unique product of its kind, which will provide the opportunity to enjoy spectacular broadcasts in any convenient place.