Available on Venues, the Innovative VR Broadcast will Bring the Breeders’ Cup Environment into Homes Around the World
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2020) – The Breeders’ Cup, one of Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious international events, today announces a collaboration with Facebook’s Oculus, a leading virtual reality (VR) platform, to produce a VR broadcast of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Available through Venues, the social viewing app that allows for accessible and immersive live viewings of events such as sports, concerts and comedy, fans will be presented with a unique opportunity to virtually experience the World Championships, set to take place at picturesque Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7.
By tapping into state-of-the-art technology, the unique VR broadcast will transport fans into an arena-like experience on the Oculus Quest platform. To receive notifications on the newest viewing details, fans can subscribe to the Oculus event pages for Future Stars Friday here and Championship Saturday here.
“With fans not allowed to attend this year’s World Championships, Venues presented the perfect opportunity to create a truly immersive live experience that they can enjoy from the comfort of their living rooms,” said Justin McDonald, Breeders’ Cup Senior Vice President, Marketing. “This broadcast completely reinvigorates the remote viewing experience and brings fans closer to the World Championships than ever before. We’re excited about the potential that this technology holds and hope that our fans find it as captivating as we do.”
The collaboration with Oculus is a testament to Breeders’ Cup’s steadfast commitment to creating cutting-edge digital offerings that engage fans in new and innovative ways. In addition to the VR broadcast, Breeders’ Cup will utilize a record-breaking 80 cameras on-site at the 2020 event to give viewers endless opportunity to watch the races in the manner of their choosing, including the all-new Contender Cam offering 14 individual live streams of the horses in each race; two Jockey Cams which provide first-person views of the races from the perspectives of participating jockeys; and a high-speed BatCam capable of reaching speeds over 100 miles per hour to record the fast-moving action around the racetrack.
The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will air live on NBC and NBCSN on Nov. 6 and 7. To learn more about this year’s event, please visit BreedersCup.com/2020.
