Future of XR in Sports and Entertainment with XR Sports Alliance's Lucy Trang Nguyen

This is the first episode in a series of 5 focused on #Innovation and hosted by Leanne Bats, a former All Blacks and FC Barcelona executive now leading innovation for a regional sports trust in New Zealand.

On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Innovation Podcast, I’m joined by Lucy Trang Nguyen, Business Development Director for Emerging Technologies at Accedo, and one of the key voices shaping the future of immersive sports experiences.

Lucy has been leading the launch of the XR Sports Alliance, a powerful new collective founded by Accedo, Qualcomm and HBS, working to bring extended reality - or XR - from proof-of-concept into real-world fan experiences. Lucy and her team are helping sports organisations rethink what’s possible when fans aren’t limited by a 2D screen.

In this conversation, we unpack the promise of XR - what it actually is, how it could change both the at-home and in-venue experience, and why rights holders, broadcasters, and sponsors should start paying close attention. We also explore what makes XR storytelling different, the commercial and legal challenges of immersive content, and what needs to happen next to make it scalable.

Timestamps
02:00 Lucy's Career Journey and Early AR Experiences
10:00 The XR Sports Alliance: Formation and Mission
14:00 The Current State and Future of XR in Sports
27:00 In-Venue Experiences and the Potential of XR
30:00 Streaming Innovations for Euro 2024
34:00 Modular Viewing Experiences and Sponsorship Integration
38:00 Challenges and Learnings in XR Sports Alliance
50:00 Future of XR in Sports and Entertainment