I never would have thought Oprah Winfrey would be the one to helm an ABC special focused on AI, but the show is coming on Sept. 12 with high-profile guests such as Bill Gates and Sam Altman. This should be good.

A peek into today’s edition:

• How tech is transforming sports viewing experiences
• Viral social media sensations lock in big deals
• Tom Brady’s Autograph relaunches without NFTs

Beyond the Arena: The Rise of Tech-Enhanced Sports Viewing

Tech-enabled viewing experiences transform how we watch sports and entertainment, bringing fans outside the arenas and fields closer to the action than ever before. Fans aren’t just catching sports spectacles on TV anymore as companies like Meta, Apple, and Cosm introduce new ways to watch events.

Recent research from IBM and Morning Consult found that sports fans want more personalized and time-saving digital sports content, with advanced tech like AI positively impacting their consumption experiences. The data also shows that young fans primarily use digital platforms to get their sports content. NBCUniversal and Peacock showed us a glimpse of what generative AI can do for large-scale sporting events like the Olympics. At the same time, IBM consistently updates its generative AI stack across sports tournaments, including the US Open and the Masters, to give fans more bite-sized sports content and recaps in real-time.

Let’s examine a few examples of how tech companies and leagues collaborate to bring new viewing experiences to sports fans worldwide, with the key focus being on new devices, platforms, and venues.

Attending a WNBA Game on the Meta Quest 3

For the second season in a row, Meta brought the WNBA to Meta Quest headsets by live-streaming 20 games. A handful of the matchups got an immersive upgrade since they were filmed in 180-degree virtual reality tech. I had to find out what this experience was like, so I attended a WNBA game in my Meta Quest 3 via the Xtadium app and shared some pros, cons, and hot takes.

The biggest takeaway was that I could fully immerse myself in a courtside experience while viewing live stats and still feel the arena vibe, even on commercial breaks, when I typically can’t do that watching from a TV.

Check out my experience in this video, and catch the last immersive game of the season on Quest devices on Sept. 15, when the Dallas Wings take on the Indiana Fever. NFL fans can catch some games this season via the Peacock app on Quest devices.

MLB Provides a New Look with Virtual Ballpark

MLB‘s Virtual Ballpark has returned and will host interactive watch parties for select regular-season games every Wednesday in September. The league partnered with London-based Improbable to design an experience that simulates a real baseball stadium for fans who are watching from outside the physical ballpark.

The Virtual Ballpark is accessible via the MLB app on any device with access to it. The platform will host interactive watch parties and use MLB’s Gameday 3D technology, which syncs with the game broadcast and gives fans up-close views of every play from every angle. Fans can also chat with other fans in the Virtual Ballpark.

Cosm is Changing the Game in Dallas

Cosm has been taking social media by storm following the launch of its 65,000-square-foot experiential venue in Dallas. Billed as an immersive tech, media, and entertainment company, Cosm is opening LED dome-like venues in various locations to give guests a new way to watch live sports and other entertainment spectacles. Much like the Meta Quest experience, Cosm offers courtside and field viewing experiences without the need to wear a headset.

I got a preview of a Cosm venue last year when the tech company inked a deal with the NBA, marking its first partnership with a professional sports league. Cosm has official locations in LA and Dallas, but the company also builds Experience Centers, or prototypes, for future venues in select cities.

Both Cosm locations have a full slate of upcoming events, but both are hyperfocused on streaming NCAA football games throughout the fall, along with Cirque du Soleil shows, audiovisual symphonies, Premier League matchups, and other new content.

What Will the Apple Vision Pro Sports Viewing Experience Be Like?

While Apple hasn’t announced new Vision Pro viewing experiences for upcoming sports events, the Big Tech company did launch Apple Immersive Video with the new headset earlier this year, which takes users up close and personal with a 180-degree 3D video experience and Spatial Audio. Apple released a short film featuring the 2023 Major League Soccer Cup playoffs. The tech firm announced in July that it’s launching a sports series that’ll include a behind-the-scenes view of the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend and an installment called Big-Wave Surfing, produced with Red Bull.

I think we’ll continue to see similar immersive and documentary-style sports content from Apple Vision Pro in the future.

The viral social media girlies are securing real business deals. Reesa Teesa‘s “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series is getting a TV adaptation, which Natasha Rothwell will star in and executive produce. Haliey Welch, also known as “Hawk Tuah Girl,” will host a new podcast coined Talk Tuah from Jake Paul‘s Betr Media brand.

• Tom Brady‘s Autograph company relaunched this week without an NFT platform and a fresh focus on media. Still billed as a sports fandom platform, the redesigned app now wants users to subscribe to their favorite teams for a curated feed of stories and podcasts.
• The UK will investigate Ticketmaster‘s dynamic pricing policies after thousands of fans missed out on securing spots to the Oasis reunion tour due to the price hikes. Some fans even reported getting suspended by Ticketmaster for bot accusations after spending hours refreshing pages when prices surged as much as $222.
• Jack Dorsey‘s decentralized social media platform, Bluesky, gained more than 2 million followers recently after X was abruptly shut down in Brazil by a court concerned about content moderation policies. Bluesky became the No. 1 downloaded app in Brazil last weekend, with Instagram’s Threads following right behind it.
• Elsewhere, X launched a beta TV app to attract more advertisers and boost its new focus on video, though early reviews say it doesn’t live up to expectations. Also, X is preparing to officially close the doors on its San Francisco headquarters on Friday, Sept. 13.
• Nvidia shares dropped nearly 10% on Tuesday after investors were unhappy with the chipmaker’s profit guidance. The decline chipped roughly $279 billion off Nvidia’s market cap, marking the biggest one-day loss in market cap history. To make matters worse, the company was hit with a subpoena from the US Justice Department over alleged antitrust violations.
• More new features are coming to social media platforms. Instagram is rolling out public comments on Stories as TikTok lets users adjust topics that appear in recommendations.
• Paramount is selling its creator conference VidCon to London-based media firm Informa a few months after searching for a buyer. Paramount-owned Viacom acquired the annual convention in 2018 after YouTubers John and Hank Green launched it in 2010 as a destination for influencers and content creators to congregate.

The “Maybe It’s Maybelline” campaign is making a comeback with a new TikTok presence and a group of beauty influencers. I’m betting that we’ll continue to see nostalgic campaign revivals from the ’90s. Personally, I’d like to see a revival of the Chili’s “I Want My Baby Back” campaign next.