Oct 29, 2024 - Sports

AR business goes all in on gamifying pro sports events

Maxwell Millington

A screengrab of an augemented reality experience at an LA Rams game — ARound's AR game activation. Photo: Courtesy of ARound

A shared augmented reality (AR) platform from Stagwell is putting its new technology in the hands of football fans.

The big picture: Pro sports teams and the brands that partner with them are looking for more ways to engage with younger audiences who are less likely to actively watch games.

How it works: ARound allows fans to unlock food and drink deals or play mini games on their mobile web browser.

The company introduced the activations at LA Rams games this season and claims that this first-of-its-kind tech is fully scalable across all college and NFL teams.

What they're saying: "Young fans want immersive, interactive experiences. They want to gamify the world, and that's what we do," ARound founder and CEO Josh Beatty tells Axios.

"We can help educate the fans. We can entertain them. We can gamify it and really start to create this lifelong fandom that can exist within sports."

Catch up quick: ARound brought AR to Rams and Minnesota Twins fans two years ago with an app that has expanded to more teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kansas City Royals.

The platform announced its first MLS partnership, with Minnesota United FC, earlier this year.

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AR business goes all in on gamifying pro sports events

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