The current state of "sports tech" steadily charting the future amid the pandemic. From the venue of the "INNOVATION LEAGUE Demo Day".

Sports Agency Commissioner Hiroyuki Murofushi, who promotes the INNOVATION LEAGUE alongside SPORTS TECH TOKYO, also attended the Demo Day. He expressed gratitude to the participating companies, stating, "Seeing your activities today reaffirmed the true value of sports even during the pandemic and gave me courage."

Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, athletes, sports organizations, companies, and sports fans alike are facing uncertain times.

Yet even amidst this, "sports tech" companies are steadily advancing their challenges to expand the possibilities of sports.

This time, we introduce the unique initiatives of five companies participating in the acceleration program of the open innovation promotion program " INNOVATION LEAGUE ".

<Table of Contents>
▼Co-hosted with the Japan Sports Agency! What is "INNOVATION LEAGUE"?
▼Adding a New "Audio Experience" to Sports Viewing with App-Free "PlatCast"
▼SwipeVideo: Making the Impossible Possible with User-Interactive Free-Viewpoint Video!
▼&nbsp; Enriching "Fan Activities"! The Community App "Fanicon" Connecting Fans and Athletes
▼Fans Participate in the Game!? "eJungle" - The Next-Generation Sports Viewing Experience
▼Support your favorite team in real time, anywhere! The viewing platform "SpoLive"
▼Challenges meet challenges, people meet people, and projects are born

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Co-hosted with the Japan Sports Agency! What is "INNOVATION LEAGUE"?

The "INNOVATION LEAGUE," a joint initiative by the Japan Sports Agency and SPORTS TECH TOKYO, is an open innovation promotion program aimed at creating sports-themed innovations and expanding the industry.

It consists of two programs: "Acceleration," which supports the growth of companies and businesses, and "Contest," which recognizes outstanding and advanced examples in sports and sports business.

In the Acceleration Program, selected companies are assigned a dedicated mentor, called an "incubator," from SPORTS TECH TOKYO. This mentor supports business growth in various ways, such as facilitating collaborations with sports organizations and promoting proof-of-concept experiments.

This time, the Japan Volleyball Association and 3x3. EXE PREMIER, the professional league for 3x3 basketball, participated in the program from the sports organizations side.

While acceleration programs typically target startups, the "INNOVATION LEAGUE" is distinctive in placing no restrictions on applicant companies. Five companies were selected for the inaugural program, including not only startups but also large corporations, each undertaking unique initiatives.

This article examines the current state of sports tech and related trends in Japan, focusing on the initiatives presented by the five selected companies at the "INNOVATION LEAGUE Demo Day" held in February as the program's results presentation.

PlatCast: Adding a New "Audio Experience" to Sports Viewing Without an App

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PlatCast enables direct audio streaming to spectators from the venue, even in locations without internet connectivity. Audience members simply scan a QR code to receive audio via their browser—no dedicated app required.

I-O DATA's " PlatCast " is an "audio streaming service for background listening" that allows live spectators to enjoy the game right in front of them more deeply. Its applications extend beyond sports, including simultaneous interpretation at academic conferences and artwork commentary at museums and cultural facilities.

Using the PlatCast delivery kit with a communication SIM, high-quality audio can be streamed to large groups even in locations without Wi-Fi or wired network access. The appeal for users is that they can listen to the stream simply by accessing the page, without needing to download a dedicated app or register for membership.

Motohiro Ogawa, PlatCast Evangelist at I-O DATA, expressed enthusiasm after participating in the program: "While we've primarily focused on real-time audio streaming at live events, we now see potential for its use as internet radio, such as expanding service areas into the off-seasons of various sports."

Indeed, in professional baseball, a collaboration with radio broadcaster Nippon Broadcasting has enabled broadcasts during time slots previously unavailable due to scheduling constraints. Audio broadcasts of events outside the pennant race, such as player retirement ceremonies and exhibition games, can now be easily listened to anywhere while multitasking. This is sure to attract more core fans.

Furthermore, expanding broadcast services could create employment opportunities for "narrators" like play-by-play announcers and commentators. The deeper fans become immersed in a sport's appeal, the more they crave insights into nuanced plays and interpretations from legends involved in the sport. As PlatCast grows and diverse "narrators" emerge ( ), the enjoyment of "choosing broadcasts based on commentators" is likely to expand.

SwipeVideo: Free-Viewpoint Video You Can Touch and Move! Making the Impossible Possible

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"Free viewpoint video" lets you move the camera angle 360 degrees. Due to the enormous data size, it was previously considered difficult for viewers to freely adjust the viewpoint on their devices. SwipeVideo has overturned this conventional wisdom.

Haven't you ever watched a spectacular play on TV and thought, "What just happened there?" only to find yourself leaning closer to the screen? Even with slow-motion replays, certain angles might miss the action you're curious about, making you wish you could move the camera yourself.

AMATELUS's new video service, "SwipeVideo," fulfills this desire for sports fans. It utilizes a technology called "free viewpoint video," enabling viewers to move the video's viewpoint 360 degrees.

Free viewpoint video gained significant attention during events like the Pyeongchang Olympics and Rugby World Cup, but its large data size has been a major hurdle, making it impossible for "each viewer to freely switch their viewpoint on their own device." SwipeVideo solves this challenge with its unique technology: "instantly delivering only the footage from a single camera, lightweight from the cloud."

With a 4G or faster connection, no dedicated app is even needed. Viewers can freely switch the viewpoint 360 degrees anytime—whether the video is playing, in slow motion, paused, or zoomed—simply by swiping the screen on their device.

While this represents a groundbreaking innovation purely from an "entertainment" perspective—enabling free viewpoint enjoyment of sports or live music—it holds significant potential beyond entertainment.

In fact, the primary early adopters of SwipeVideo are educational institutions. For example, a dedicated SwipeVideo studio was established at a domestic sports trainer training school, solving common offline training issues like "difficulty seeing due to location or angle" and "inefficient input."

Furthermore, INNOVATION LEAGUE, in collaboration with the Japan Volleyball Association, worked on further updates. To enhance streaming accuracy even without specialized equipment, they filmed actual V-League matches using a large number of iPhones and conducted verification tests.

Shinya Shimojo, CEO of AMATELUS, who states, "We want to preserve humanity's passionate moments for the future," shared a future vision stemming from this verification: "Synchronizing the iPhone cameras of live spectators to 'live-stream' 360-degree video." This plan for the service "Peoplecast," essentially UGC (User-Generated Content), is .

&nbsp;Enrich your fan activities! The community app for fans and athletes, "Fanicon"

Fanicon enables members to interact with their favorite athletes and fellow fans through timelines and group chats in exclusive communities. It also offers fan club features like limited ticket sales and low implementation costs for operators, leading over 2,000 talent and artist groups to adopt the platform.

THECOO, with its deep expertise in the entertainment industry, provides a service that fosters more casual connections between fans and athletes.

Already used by over 2,000 artists, talents, and sports teams, " Fanicon " is gaining attention as a new model for fan communities.

It is a closed, members-only community for talent and fans, or fans themselves, to interact. Beyond communication features like timelines, group chats, message boards, and video streaming, it also incorporates fan club functions such as limited ticket sales and fun features like "Scratch" (similar to the "gacha" system in social games).

For fans, the membership-based structure creates a sense of closeness with the talent and the management team, offering an online salon-like experience where they can communicate with their favorite talent and fellow fans. The benefit for management is the low cost of implementation, both in terms of price and operational overhead. Many artists and talents are adopting it as part of their fan service and as a new revenue stream.

Amid this trend, Fanicon conducted a program introducing its platform to sports teams and governing bodies to deeply investigate "the unique realities specific to athletes and sports fans." The two key insights gained are particularly interesting.

First, athletes, whose primary job is to perform well in competitions, are not as proactive in sharing information within communities compared to artists or celebrities. Additionally, sports organizations, unlike talent agencies, are less accustomed to direct fan engagement.

The second finding is that core sports fans, particularly those with high levels of enthusiasm, are more likely to have a "favorite player" than to support the entire team. In an era where the term "supporting your favorite" is popular and many young people say they "spend freely for their favorite," the ability to obtain information about, hear the voice of, and interact with their "favorite player" outside of competitions will undoubtedly further fuel fans' passion. Moreover, when fans' passion reaches them directly, players are likely to gain more strength.

Understanding these characteristics and considering how to support athletes and operations reveals significant growth potential for "fan business in the sports world."

Yosuke Sato, Deputy Captain of THECOO's Fanicon Division, eyes the future with enthusiasm: "We aim to penetrate the sports world by focusing on developing projects centered around athletes' personalities and creating Fanicon content production manuals for sports organizations unfamiliar with social media." Alongside enhancing the service, we also look forward to seeing pathways developed where fan enjoyment translates into revenue.

Fans Participate in the Match!? "e-Jungle," a Next-Generation Sports Viewing Experience

"e-Jungle" is a fan activation service where users enjoy "in-play games"—competing with others by predicting "the next play" or "the match outcome" while watching the game via video. It's a new viewing experience that lets you watch the action unfold as if you were participating in the match yourself.

Jungle X created this experience of fans feeling like they're participating in the game by combining a sports-focused podcast service with "In-Play Games" through " e-Jungle ".

In the "in-play game," users predict the next play or the match outcome while watching the live-streamed game footage, competing against each other. Traditional sports viewing is primarily a passive activity; when the game becomes "stalled," viewers often lose focus. However, adding an action element like predicting the next play allows for a more active and engaging way to enjoy the game.

Fumitada Naoe, the company's representative, emphasized about this service: "We want you to enjoy this new viewing experience where you can immerse yourself more deeply in the game by 'participating' yourself."

Additionally, before and after matches, professional sports DJs deliver exclusive information only available on e-JUNGLE, adding an element of "listening" enjoyment. They have previously broadcast preview programs for 3x3. EXE PREMIER, and during the March tournament, provided audio commentary on players' backgrounds and team stories during matches, further fueling spectator excitement.

Commissioner Takaaki Nakamura stated, "We created this new tournament specifically to test this service, streaming it exclusively online. eJungle's initiative could be a turning point that fundamentally changes how services are provided in the future of sports," expressing high hopes for creating new business opportunities.

Cheer for your favorite team in real time, anywhere! The spectator platform "SpoLive"

SpoLive is a virtual spectator app optimized for smartphones. Even if you can't watch live at the venue, you can purchase "digital cheering goods" to send real-time cheering animations and messages to your team or players.

SpoLive Interactive, a startup born from an internal venture at NTT Communications.

The company's " SpoLive " is a virtual spectator app optimized for smartphones, serving as a tool to deliver "cheers" to the venue in real time.

Fans can watch live games with commentary and analysis from anywhere, instantly accessing rules, player data, and updates on active players. It also features "Super Cheers," a tip-based function. By purchasing "Super Cheers," fans can send cheering animations and messages to their team from locations outside the stadium.

In today's world, many supporters watching sports on smartphones or TV often find themselves searching for information like "What's the background of that player?" when a young player makes an unexpected super play, or checking other fans' reactions on social media. The company's survey also revealed voices saying, "It would be great if the team could compile and share that kind of information."

However, sports organizations and teams operating with limited personnel often struggle to allocate the necessary staff and time to digitize their information distribution.

Developed from CEO Yuhei Iwata's passionate desire to "create a platform that sports organizations can operate with minimal effort, allowing fans to enjoy sports even more," this app's key feature is its "ease of management for the operating side."

The "management cloud" provided to sports organizations is designed for minimal operational effort. It automates or streamlines tasks previously done manually, adapting to each team's staffing structure and content needs.

Mr. Nakamura of 3x3. EXE PREMIER, who collaborated on the program, praised it highly: "It's incredibly valuable that they've considered not only innovative ways to present content—like delivering player information and fan support alongside match footage—but also the operational burden on the management side." He expressed strong anticipation for continuing to utilize the service and contributing to further feature enhancements.

Sports possess an extraordinary power to connect people with people, ideas with ideas, and challenges with challenges. This demo day confirmed that 's technology is steadily bringing to life: viewing experiences that make you feel like you're right there even when you can't attend in person; information services that let you enjoy matches in more complex ways; and services that foster intimate exchanges with your favorite teams and enrich the off-season.

Challenges meet challenges, people meet people, and projects are born

In the INNOVATION LEAGUE acceleration program, selected companies brought their ideas and technologies, while the sports organizations Japan Volleyball Association and 3 x 3. EXE PREMIER brought real-world challenges. Together, they created value that neither could have produced alone.

Furthermore, at the INNOVATION LEAGUE Contest awards ceremony, all winners across the four established categories represented initiatives connecting disparate entities, such as "large corporations and startups" or "startups and local communities."

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to the present, both sports and business have faced numerous constraints, leaving society as a whole unable to move freely. Precisely because people in all walks of life are grappling with their own challenges now, there seems to be a growing sense that we must come together—not alone, but as two, three, or more parties—to find a way forward.

At the Demo Day venue, it was particularly striking when contest winners casually chatting in the green room spontaneously decided to launch a joint project right then and there.

Sports have always drawn people and passion together. That power is now poised to be unleashed even more strongly within broader frameworks, including business and social activities. (SPORTS TECH TOKYO, Hajime Yakushiji)

As the startup ecosystem expands, the Dentsu Group has initiated numerous initiatives to support startups.

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These include "growing alongside startups" through investment and business development, "energizing alongside startups" by hosting accelerator events, and proposing optimal marketing solutions "for startups."

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For details on individual services, please see the links below.

<Investment & Business Development>

■Dentsu Ventures Website | Web Dentsu News Series
……A corporate venture capital fund that invests globally in ventures, primarily overseas companies.

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＜Accelerator＞

■SPORTS TECH TOKYO　&nbsp; HP　Web Dentsu Inc. News Series
……An acceleration program focused on the theme of Sports × Technology. It creates various business opportunities in collaboration with companies and sports-related organizations.

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■GRASSHOPPER 　HP
……An acceleration program that provides multifaceted support to startups creating services and products that astonish the world.

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<Solution Consulting>

■TANTEKI HPWeb Dentsu Inc. News Serialization
……We transform startups' cutting-edge technologies and ideas into "communicable" forms through the power of copywriting and design.

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■Dentsu Inc. Growth Design Unit ReleaseWeb Denpo News Series
……We invest skilled "people" into each stage of a startup's journey, supporting growth through hands-on consulting.