Leading brands spend millions for a coveted ad spot during the Super Bowl with brands spending as much as $5 million for 30 seconds. While Samsung and Intel prominently featured virtual reality, Hyundai displayed one the most impressive advertisements of f a brand awareness and messaging campaign using VR. Hyundai used VR and satellite technology to show U.S. military troops in Poland experiencing the game live and, in a surprise twist, be virtually reunited with their families. Hyundai placed Nokia OZO cameras next to family members invited to the game and streamed the feed live to the soldier, with a screen also showing a live stream of the soldier to their family.

Greenlight Data Shows Live, Social Sports Viewing in VR is a Top Compelling Use Case

Super Bowl viewers took to Twitter to share their enthusiasm for the use case.

In Greenlight Insights’ 2016 Virtual Reality Consumer Adoption Survey, Greenlight asked 1,300 U.S. respondents to indicate how interested in using VR for various use cases, including viewing live sports. 56.1% of the respondents said they were interested in viewing live sports in virtual reality, with 38.9% stating they were “very interested.” Moreover, when we asked respondents about their feelings on the sociability of live sports viewing in VR - whether the activity would be best enjoyed alone or with other people, 53.2% of respondents said it would be best to watch live sports in VR with other people.

New Study To Measure Changing Attitudes

Since 2015, Greenlight Insights has explored and measured consumer attitudes and preferences towards virtual reality - how has sentiment changed, what’s most engaging, what’s the future of monetization, and much more. Now in its third year, the 2017 Virtual Reality Consumer Adoption Survey provides empirically-based insights into a broad scope of topics relating to consumers and virtual reality. If you’d like to learn more or pre-order the report, visit greenlightinsights.com/reports/2017-virtual-reality-consumer-report.

For a look back, read our 2016 Virtual Reality Consumer Adoption Report.