Football in 8K and 180 degrees: Apple is approaching European top clubs
Hoping for affluent fans, Apple is also relying on sports content for the Vision Pro. European top-tier football is now on the agenda.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch / heise medien)
Apple is showing growing interest in European football: A documentary about the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Juventus, held in October, is set to be released next year as an immersive video for the Vision Pro VR headset. Over 30 Blackmagic cameras, specifically designed for recording Apple's immersive video format—8K in 180 degrees—were used at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid for this purpose, as reported by Spanish GQ.
Virtual stadium visit as a vision
There has been speculation about a collaboration between Apple and Real Madrid for a long time; now there is public confirmation, although both parties have been very discreet. Real Madrid only stated that Apple's head of content and services, Eddy Cue, had visited and that “gifts” were exchanged. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez described in the GQ interview his vision again that fans from all over the world could virtually follow Real Madrid games from the stadium. There was no concrete announcement regarding streaming plans with Apple. Spanish fans currently have little to gain from this, as the Vision Pro is not currently sold in that market.
Videos by heise
Apple's focus has so far been on US football: Apple has secured the rights to broadcast Major League Soccer. From next year, the games will be included directly in the Apple TV subscription for the first time, but in the classic 2D format and not in immersive format. Specifically for the Vision Pro, there has only been a 5-minute video with a compilation of the 2023 MLS playoffs so far. This did not generate much enthusiasm: the video appeared many months later and confuses the viewer with quick cuts—disadvantageous for this type of 180-degree video.
Immersive live streams as a new format
How good immersive live video of sporting events is will become clear at the beginning of 2026: Then Apple will bring US basketball live to the Vision Pro. A series of Los Angeles Lakers games will be broadcast live in the immersive video format and will likely also be available for on-demand viewing as 180-degree video afterward. The basketball court is comparatively manageable and can probably be well covered with spatial cameras; the challenge is considerably greater with football: immersive video primarily impresses with close-ups, such as close-ups of faces. In a wide shot – for example, an overview of a complete football field—spatial videos tend to appear flat quickly.
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