There’s no stopping Real Madrid President Florentino Perez from reinforcing Real Madrid’s long-standing image as the world’s biggest football club. In addition to investing over $1 billion to modernize the legendary Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the club will also revolutionize how its fans view the game at home.
Real Madrid and Apple are working together on a technological solution to bring the bedroom fan closer to the game through Apple Vision Pro. In Spanish outlet Marca, Perez alluded to installing cutting-edge technology within the stadium to enable an unmatchable virtual experience.
Introducing the ‘Infinite Santiago Bernabeu’
“It’s a problem,” said Perez in Sunday’s Real Madrid Partners Assembly. “Everyone wants to come to the Santiago Bernabeu, and that’s why we’re negotiating with Apple to be able to wear glasses and watch the match as if you were at the stadium.”
“It would be the Infinite Santiago Bernabeu. It’s not The Matrix, it’s Real Madrid and the future — the end of the ‘no tickets available’ or the famous ‘sold out’,” he added.
Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook made a “surprise” visit to Real Madrid City to meet Perez and greet the team. At the time, Real Madrid reported that Cook was visiting to join the celebration of the club’s historic 500 million followers across social media.
Now, we get a glimpse of what emerged from those secret discussions between the football and tech hegemon. Cook attended the subsequent Madrid match against Atletico.
Offering a vicarious football viewing experience is an eventuality. Like many new technologies, the initial adoption will just be unequally distributed. The price point of an Apple Vision Pro is $3,500.
But there are other ways of “attending” matches like you’re at the stadium. Los Angeles’ The Dome at COSM offers attendees an 8k Ultra HD immersive viewing footballing experience. Last August, fans sat in a stadium-like crowd to watch the Manchester United game as if they were at Old Trafford.
We’re still a giant leap from reproducing the in-game experience at home, but at least Apple and Real Madrid are pushing the mixed-reality envelope.
Real Madrid’s virtual revolution: Experience games like you’re at the Bernabeu
