According to Brian Wagner, the foundation for University of Michigan athletics and its digital strategy is to bring fans not in attendance “into the games.”
Prior to Friday’s Orange Bowl, the Digital Strategy and Creative Lead along with his social counterparts took advantage of Periscope’s new live 360 video feature to bring fans closer to the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The Michigan football program was one of the first sports teams to leverage the live 360 video experience after Periscope introduced it as a feature Wednesday.
“We’re always looking to be on the cutting edge of technology in an attempt to bring the best content for our donors, alumni and fans,” Wagner said. “We strive to meet our consumers in the moment as a way to consistently build more brand loyalty. This industry is moving at an incredible pace with several schools in our community doing great things. We aim to be on top of the latest trends as long as they fit within our strategies.”
Get The Latest eSports Tech News In Your Inbox!
Ed Kengerski, Michigan athletics video reporter and producer, went “live” about an hour before the game while Wagner used a Insta360 Nano HD camera to capture the footage, which is natively integrated into the Periscope platform.
“You’re watching us tonight on Periscope 360 video,” Kengerski said.“This is a really cool new tool we’re debuting.”
Users could change their point of view by moving their phones or scrolling around the screen to see players faintly warming up. As of this writing, the minute-long Periscope video had nearly 15,000 viewers.
Check out the Wolverines LIVE in 360 as we warm up on the field! #GoBlue #Periscope360 https://t.co/aI4IRlGwfU
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 31, 2016
“Live 360 video is a more immersive way to join any moment with a broadcaster,” said Andrew Barge, Sports Partnerships Manager at Twitter: “With 360 video on Periscope and Twitter, you can experience moments with the broadcaster and take a look around — it’s one step closer to actually being there.”