Swedish technology company Ericsson have announced that BT Sport will be using their PIERO augmented reality software to bring their analysis to life.

Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, at Ericsson said in a statement released to the press, “This industry first, immersive technology allows broadcasters to elevate sports programming by going beyond rudimentary, pre-built 2D graphics and bring content to life through data-driven stories for even more compelling viewing and deeper engagement. BT Sport is a long-time partner and as the first client for PIERO Augmented Reality we deepen the relationship, delivering value to BT Sport’s viewers.”

The new deal is the first time we’ve seen augmented reality being used in such a mainstream broadcast, and that is definitely a nod to the sector: the more mainstream broadcasters who start to use it, the more normalised it will become.

On the back of the success of Pokemon Go over the summer, AR is becoming bigger and bigger. And it makes sense that sporting broadcasts would benefit from the technology. The studio environment lends itself to talking about the game, and we’ve already seen presenters struggle time and again to use technology live in the studio to add rings and lines to Premier League highlights, for example.

Ericsson’s solution is surely a step in the right direction, allowing the 3D images of the event to be beamed onto the studio floor so that analysis can take place without having to cut away from the studio itself.

The technology will also be used by BT for its rugby coverage as well as for its football coverage.