The Cleveland Cavaliers and Budweiser have teamed up to bring a virtual reality (VR) experience to fans by inviting them to venture into the realm of fully immersive, 360-degree VR videos. The innovative technology, available for fans with the official *Cavs mobile app presented by BBVA, will launch today. The team will give away a limited number of specially designed Budweiser-cardboard viewing headsets to fans attending the Round 2 Cavs vs Atlanta Hawks game tonight, May 4th at Quicken Loans Arena at 8:00 p.m.
“As a company we are always looking for new ways to bring fans closer to the teams they love, and virtual reality is a big part of that,” said Lucas Herscovici, VP of Consumer Connections at Anheuser Busch. “The Cavs have been great partners in helping us activate this technology in the NBA and we look forward to continuing to evolve this activation.”
The Cavs are the first in the NBA to have VR natively built into their official team mobile app and one of the only teams in the league to offer exclusive VR content. The technology will be available beginning today with the debut of an exclusive VR video that takes fans inside the game day experience. The team will roll out new videos throughout the playoffs.
When watching these videos on their mobile device, either as a 360 degree video or enclosed in the fully immersive VR headset, fans will feel like they are actually in the environment they are viewing. With the technology, they will have the ability to pan and rotate their device or headset to view the panoramic videos from different angles and perspectives, simulating a real life experience.
“We’re always looking for new ways to connect with our fans by leveraging emerging technologies that deliver unique experiences. VR was a logical next step and an area we’re excited to explore,” said Mike Conley, Cavs VP of Digital. “The technology has endless opportunity and thanks to our partnership with Budweiser and Yinzcam, we’ve been able to get a head start in the emerging VR space with the new video content available on the Cavs App.”
The unique Budweiser VR headset fan giveaway at the Cavs vs. Hawks playoff game is a multi-purpose accessory. First, it’s a VR viewer that provides a more immersive experience by eliminating the boundaries associated with the device. It works by inserting the smartphone into the front of the headset, then looking through its special lens at the screen of the device that’s streaming the VR content. Additionally, the special fan giveaway easily transforms into a handy Budweiser beer holder.
The Budweiser-cardboard viewing headsets are just one facet of the Cavs new multi-year agreement with long-time partner Budweiser. The partnership connects passionate Cavs fans with Budweiser's iconic brand through unique fan engagement and innovative digital activations, including the new VR experience along with Budweiser takeover nights that includes digital and social activation throughout The Q.
*The FREE official Cavs mobile app presented by BBVA is powered by Yinzcam and available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and is compatible on most Apple and Android smartphone and tablet devices.