MLB Home Run Derby Batters Will Livestream Through Helmet Cameras
T-Mobile has announced that it will equip players at Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2021 Home Run Derby in Denver with point-of-view (POV) cameras on their helmets and allow viewers to witness the game as if they were on the field.
Viewers will get the unique opportunity to witness both the batting practice and the derby itself through cameras installed on batters’ helmets — and also on catchers’ masks.
According to the company’s press release, this is the first time 5G-embedded wearable cameras will be integrated into a professional sports league’s event of this scale. The streaming event starts on July 12 first with the practice that is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM eastern time, then followed by the derby itself at 8 PM.
The POV cameras will be used alongside a new MLB Augmented Reality (AR) mobile app that allows users to digitally explore Coors Field — the baseball park located in downtown Denver, Colorado, and the home field of the Colorado Rockies — and get detailed stats for each swing.
Un‑carrier Reinvents the Fan Experience with 5G at the @TMobile Home Run Derbyhttps://t.co/xxWDyIOurE
— T-Mobile Newsroom (@tmobilenews) July 6, 2021
Users will be able to track baseball hit trails and get details on stats like distance and more, while those with 5G phones will be able to access additional statistical information such as baseball hang time, max height, and exit velocity as well as access replays of home runs.
It is reported that the cameras — created in partnership with ActionStreamer — will deliver the footage in “high definition” and T-Mobile says there will be three or four hat cameras during the batting practice and two for the derby, with one for the American League and one for the National League, in addition to a catcher camera. However, it is yet unknown which specific players will be equipped with the POV cameras.
The company reports that this is just the start of the MLB AR app, and MLB and T-Mobile will continue to “transform” the baseball fan experience by rolling out new features, additional 3D stadium representations, and more.
All fans — not just T-Mobile customers — who want to see the unique angle of the event can use T-Mobile’s Beyond the Bases website to watch the competition through the POV cameras during the derby next week.
