Sacramento Kings Get Up Close and Personal With Google Glass
The Kings will face the Pacers for their first Google Glass game on Jan. 24.
Jan. 17, 2014— -- Google Glass has been used to film fashion shows and surgical procedures, but the Sacramento Kings are looking to take it courtside. The team members, cheerleaders, and announcers will use the device to give people a view of the game that they haven't seen before.
Jim Kovach, the head of business development for the electronics company CrowdOptic, said that the company's technology will be able to take video footage from Google Glass and broadcast it live on the Jumbotron, as well as to televisions and mobile devices. "A long time ago, I played in the NFL and the view that I miss [now] is the one on the field," he told ABC News. "If you're one of the players, you have the best view."
The Kings first game with Google Glass is scheduled for Jan. 24, against the Indiana Pacers. However, Kovach sees it not as a one-time event, but something that they will use regularly. "The investment is for the long-term, and it's the very first footage anyone has so close to the game," he said. "There really is a strong interest in building this out."
That interest isn't just with the Kings, but with the NBA as well. "Yesterday, Commissioner of the NBA David Stern talked about the likelihood of licensing the rights of content for Google Glass," said Kovach. "Currently, it's limited to the fringes of the game, but over time, I see it more incorporated."