Sport, stats and more live and in real time

An Australian company is working to completely change the way you watch sport and put you right at the centre of the action.

A change is coming that promises to completely revolutionise the way you watch sport, giving you real time stats and placing you in the centre of the action.

Australian immersive technology company Unbnd amps up the sports watching experience you now have with real-time stats, switchable camera angles and deep integrations.

The company works with the US NBA basketball league through its MIA (Missing In Action) app, available on smartphones and tablets.

Unbnd's MIA app adds real time stats and information to broadcasts.

On the surface the app looks like a regular broadcast, but double-tapping the vision feed zooms you out to a new mode that can show you live stats, different camera angles, and other information alongside the broadcast itself to enhance the sports watching experience.

It puts an end to the second and third screen phenomenon, where you spend most of your time watching television actually looking at your phone, laptop or tablet to get similar information.

At a recent demonstration, Unbnd showed news.com.au how the technology works and how it might look in the future.

The higher speed and lower latency of incoming 5G networks will make it possible to expand the platform’s capabilities, letting you stream multiple games at once or view one from different angles in 4K Ultra HD.

Think of it as a high-tech update to the ability to change camera angles by pressing a button on your remote.

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Using emerging and developing technology like virtual reality and a new thing called volumetric imaging, you’ll eventually be able to virtually walk onto the court.

You could stand next to LeBron James or Ben Simmons and follow them around while they make plays, putting yourself at the centre of the action.

Virtual reality goggles could open up all new ways to view games. Picture: Fred Dufour / AFP

Volumetric imaging is a technology still being developed and is a few years off.

It works by using dozens of cameras dotted around an area, which produce around a terabyte of data every second that is then processed to create a virtual world you can move around in.

Volumetric imaging and multiple 4K streams obviously need huge amounts of data, but with the faster speeds promised on the new 5G mobile networks, that becomes a non-issue.

Combining it with virtual reality could create an immersive and unparalleled viewing experience, and according to Unbnd, it’s one the people in charge of broadcasting for various sports have never seen before.

They’re also interested in some of the other revenue streams it opens up, such as integrating with betting companies to display live odds and give you a way to place bets. (Betting during a live game is no longer allowed in Australia but is allowed in other markets).

There’s also a potential platform for e-commerce.

Artificial intelligence and algorithms can analyse the gameplay by listening to crowd reactions for big moments and commentary to identify the player creating them.

If Steph Curry catches a hot hand and hits five three-point-shots in a row, his jersey will shortly be in your eye line, ready for you to virtually try on and purchase.

The faster speeds of 5G and the deep immersion of VR provide all new viewing experiences for live sport. Picture: STR / AFP

But it’s not limited to sport.

The music industry could also benefit from the technology. Being able to virtually attend a concert or buy an artist’s merch without leaving your living room obviously makes it easier for us, but also presents new ways for musicians and their labels to profit off their work and keep producing it.

Currently the Unbnd MIA platform is still limited to six live NBA games a week and some highlights packages, at the price of $6.95 per month.

A subscription to NBA League Pass starts at $14.99 a month for only 8 games, and can go all the way up to $39.99 a month if you want to watch every team and game.

Unbnd are also looking at options to open the app up for use in football, soccer and motor racing.