FIFA World Cup 2022: Chinese Tech Firms Offer Metaverse Experiences

(CTN NEWS) – Although the business is still very young, many people think China is setting the bar for developing metaverse experiences.

While streaming the 2022 FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar, two Chinese technology companies provide Chinese spectators with a metaverse experience.

According to reports, the two companies, Migu and Douyin, paid exorbitant fees for the rights to broadcast the World Cup in Qatar and would sublicense China Media Group, a state-owned broadcaster.

The company claims that users can use VR headsets at Migu’s virtual interactive space to watch World Cup games.

Migu originally revealed its plans in July when its CCO, Gan Yuqing, stated that the company will develop a virtual environment for viewing the games that would be a first in the globe.

The company will host a World Cup Music Festival on the metaverse, Yuqing further stated. He added that a special guest from the future would join him.

Similarly, Douyin, a Chinese TikTok site owned by ByteDance, disclosed its World Cup broadcast offerings.

Users are encouraged to utilize Pico’s VR headsets to watch cup matches in a virtual environment run by another ByteDance subsidiary.

Additionally, it urged prospective users to invite their friends for a joint metaverse experience.

The World Cup is the biggest stage for the most popular sport in the world, and it is the ideal marketing opportunity for any firm to highlight its products, according to You Xi, co-founder of the Kandon app.

Migu announced plans for a “Metaverse World Cup Music Festival”, while Douyin promoted “Watch the World Cup live on Douyin”.

Metaverse – what is it?

Since Facebook Inc. rebranded as Meta, metaverse has become the new buzzword in tech.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is sparking a new wave of interest in the metaverse.

“The metaverse will let you do almost anything you can imagine – work, learn, play, shop, create – and completely new experiences that don’t fit with how we think about computers and phones today.” said Zuckerberg

“You can teleport as a hologram instantly to be at the office without having to commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parents’ living room. No matter where you live, you will have more opportunities.

As a result, “he said you’ll be able to spend more time on what matters to you, reduce traffic time, and reduce your carbon footprint.”

China’s Metaverse Experience

Several Chinese tech companies had invested in the metaverse as of February. Several Chinese organizations,

including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, revealed a plan to advance VR technology and the industry in November.

The plan included a five-year schedule for the industry’s growth from 2022 to 2026, totalling nearly $49 billion.

Independent industry watcher Chen Jia thinks the World Cup offers the ideal chance to gauge advancement in real-time. Jia thinks the test will give China a head start in the sector.

Jia stated,“Through the application of different scenarios in the metaverse of this World Cup, China can also test the overall quality of the industrial chain through virtual reality technology.“

Guo Tao, an internet analyst, thinks that the technology is still in its infancy and needs to be tested in the market. He pointed out that the sector is still in its infancy and that there are just a few applications in the sports sector.

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