Sports streaming to mobiles; 360-degree cameras; and spider and drone cameras are fans’ favourite recent sports tech developments

Tech in Sport_BT Sport Innovate 21

BT Sport has commissioned a survey of 2,000 sports fans in the UK, which reveals live sports streaming to mobiles; 360-degree viewer-controlled cameras; and the introduction of spider and drone cameras are the fans’ favourite sports tech developments of recent years.

The development of 4K and HDR picture quality also scored highly.

Looking specifically at sports broadcasts, instant replays, slow motion and the ability to rewind live TV are the most popular innovations, according to the research.

Meanwhile, 53% of fans say they regularly watch sport on a PC or laptop, while 41% say they watch on their smart phones.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, VAR system came out as the least popular new tech development.

More broadly, however, 76% of fans said tech enhances their enjoyment of sport, especially with football, which is best utilising tech to enhance sports viewing, according to 49% of fans.

BT Sport kicked off the survey to mark the launch of BT Innovate 21, which is looking to find the next big tech idea in sports broadcasting.

The key findings of the survey are as follows:

BEST RECENT TECH INNOVATIONS IN SPORTS BROADCASTING

Spider/drone cameras (26%)

360° viewer-controlled cameras (26%)

Live streaming sport to mobiles (22%)

4K / HDR picture quality (21%)

Post-match video analysis (20%)

BEST EVER OVERALL TECH INNOVATIONS IN SPORTS BROADCASTING

Instant replays (33%)

Rewinding live TV (32%)

Slow motion replays (31%)

On-screen time/score graphics (16%)

Spider/drone cameras /// 4K pictures /// 360° cameras /// (14%)

BEST TECH INNOVATIONS BY ATHLETES, TEAMS, SPORTS AUTHORITIES

Goal-line technology (32%)

Hawk-Eye (27%)

Photo finish technology (26%)

Prosthetic devices for disabled athletes (24%)

Under soil heating (23%)

WORST TECH INNOVATIONS BY ATHLETES, TEAMS, SPORTS AUTHORITIES

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) (31%)

eSports – competitive video gaming (16%)

Fantasy football apps (14%)

Cavity backs – used in golf to help make misfired shots more forgiving (10%)

Voice activated assistants (10%)