IOWN APN: “A new way to watch professional baseball” Docomo and the Yomiuri Giants | BUSINESS NETWORK
On September 18, 2024, NTT Docomo, Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo headquarters, and the Yomiuri Giants demonstrated real-time video streaming of Yomiuri Giants games at Tokyo Dome at the Shibuya Sakura Stage commercial facility in Shibuya Ward, utilizing the All-Photonics Network (APN) of NTT’s “IOWN Concept.”
The three parties signed an “Official DX Promotion Partnership Agreement” in March 2021 with the aim of improving stadium DX and the viewing experience by utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as 5G. They have provided a “multi-angle service” that allows users to enjoy the facial expressions of players during the game and angles from behind the back net on their smartphones.
“Japan’s sports and entertainment industry still has great potential for growth in both the real and digital sectors. We have been working to bring sports to more people in new forms and increase the enthusiasm of fans,” said Wakako Sakurai, Executive Officer and Head of Entertainment Platform Department at NTT Docomo’s Smart Life Company.
(From the left) Kenji Nishihara, Director of the Baseball Business Department, Business Bureau, Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters, and Wakako Sakurai, Executive Officer and Director of Entertainment Platforms, Smart Life Company, NTT Docomo
This real-time video distribution using “APN IOWN 1.0” is part of the initiatives under the partnership agreement. A demonstration was held using APN IOWN 1.0 to transmit live video from Nippon Television to the Shibuya Sakura Stage.
When streaming on television or the Internet, there is often a delay between the actual gameplay and the image viewed on television or smartphone. However, by utilizing IOWN, “we can transmit video with close to zero delay, and send high-resolution video without degradation,” said Nobuyoshi Goto, planning manager for the Entertainment Platform Division at NTT Docomo.
The demo. The center is live footage, and the two sides are volumetric video.