Star Sports and Quidich takes drone augmented reality to new heights

For the first time in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), over 300 million cricket spectators across the globe were treated to an extraordinary Augmented Reality event on Sunday that left them both stunned and delighted. During the innings break of the final match between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans, the sky above the Narendra Modi stadium suddenly transformed. The incredible spectacle was created by Star Sports and Quidich Innovation Labs that teamed up for the show.

The tool used was the Unreal Engine – a powerful real-time 3D game engine, coupled with Quidich’s proprietary real-time drone tracking system, Spatio. The AR production gave the viewers a magical experience that highlighted the might of the IPL and its mission ‘Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi’ (‘where talent meets opportunity’).

The AR show was consumed widely on televisions and mobile phones across the country and has drawn much appreciation from the fans on social media who had never seen anything quite like it before.

Sunday’s use of Augmented Reality on the IPL finals marks a new beginning for the use of AR in cricket for creating new and immersive fan experiences.

The Star Sports Labs along with Quidich will be using this technology extensively to create more magical and memorable moments and take sports to a whole new level in the future. BCS Bureau