Softseed: The future of Immersive Reality in entertainment

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Softseed is a rapidly growing global Software as a service (SaaS) company with a diverse team of top developers – and their goal is to create Virtual Reality (VR) and Immersive Reality (IR) technology for consumers to broadcast events.

The company was established as recently as 2013 by three founders in Berlin who had an academic and media background.

They now have three locations that the company work out of: Berlin (Head Office), Bangkok (Product Development) and Palma de Mallorca (Sales & Distribution).

The Berlin-based start-up have three products (PLAIGROUND®, LOKI® and RE-PLAY®) based off this ever popular technology that allows people around the globe to enjoy their favourite content not as a spectator but to be right in the middle of it.

The company mentions the fact that Immersive Reality is the future of the entertainment industry because of its data processing speed and its sustainability compared to other similar technologies.

Products:

PLAIGROUND®

PLAIGROUND® is a cutting-edge, proprietary software solution designed to deliver live Immersive Reality experiences to the mass market. This patented solution is based on a novel 3DIR codec which execs said was an adaptation of the MV-HEVC codec, a Multiview extension of HEVC, developed by Fraunhofer ISS and for which Softseed is a test partner.

The technology sets the standard in innovation and performance, offering unmatched colour depth, frame rate, motion clarity, noise reduction, and resolution.

With extremely low latency, PLAIGROUND® ensures consistent 10K 3D stereoscopic quality at over 90Hz and a minimum of 30fps at a bitrate of 100mbit and 10-bit colour depth. This advanced technology is ideal for ultra-fast sports and music events that demand flawless live streaming as part of an individualised Immersive Reality experience.

LOKI®

LOKI® is the world’s first cloud-based Virtual-IR-Receiver, using AI-powered computing to process, encrypt, and adapt IR data for personalised playback on any device.

LOKI® can convert 2D video into native 3D in real-time, creating smooth, immersive 360° 3D video in 8K resolution—even from lower-quality input. Additionally, it seamlessly combines two 180° 3D video streams into a single 360° 3D image at 8K or 10K resolution.

RE-PLAY®

RE-PLAY® is an advanced software solution designed to monetise live event replays for a wider audience.

Exclusively on the Apple Vision Pro, RE-PLAY® delivers stunning 11K 3D stereoscopic quality, up to 90fps, with a 500MB/s bitrate and 10-bit colour depth. All of this includes a 360° camera and multiple angles that allows viewers to watch however they would like.

This system works with top tier audio and video devices ensuring a smooth, immersive experience that is perfect for sporting and musical events.

Involvement in 2024 German Supercup

Softseed featured in the 2024 German Supercup between Leverkusen and Stuttgart. Germany’s annual curtain-raiser in Leverkusen was the German Football League’s (DFL’s) latest chance to show off its innovative side.

The 30,000-seat BayArena was the scene for the DFL to deliver the world’s first 10K resolution VR live stream of a football match in partnership with Berlin-based tech start-up Softseed.

Fans were able to watch a 360-degree, 10K resolution stream of the SuperCup, with the stream providing a view for users that was as if they were standing in the stadium. Multiple perspectives were offered in the live trial and the Apple Vision Pro was used as the product to showcase this technology.

The 10K live stream had a latency of under 35 seconds, a remarkably short timeframe given one terabyte of data per minute is being processed. It provided a look-in to the potential future of how fans watch a streamed game.

Conclusion

Softseed Technologies have created groundbreaking technology which, even in its infancy, is proving to be a potential game-changer in how sports and music events are viewed using Immersive and Virtual reality.

It is a unique product that is proving successful and the technology is almost certainly going to be licenced by large sporting or music organisations in the near future.

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A-Leagues partners with Champion Data to enhance broadcast experience

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The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has appointed Champion Data as its official broadcast graphics partner in a three-season agreement designed to enhance coverage of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women. The partnership will introduce Champion Data’s live graphics technology across broadcasts on Network 10 and Paramount+, delivering real-time statistics, scores and visual insights to help fans follow the action.

Champion Data will use its proprietary GGi platform to connect match data with broadcast graphics and production workflows. The system will support the delivery of clear, engaging information throughout matches, giving viewers greater insight into key moments and performances. The agreement also strengthens the APL’s commitment to improving the broadcast presentation of women’s football. Champion Data will bring the Ninja A-League Women’s production standards into alignment with the men’s competition, supporting a more consistent viewing experience across both leagues.

The APL expects the partnership to enrich its broadcast offering as audiences seek deeper insights and more engaging ways to follow Australian football. The new graphics package will help viewers understand match developments, track statistics and connect with the stories unfolding on the pitch. Champion Data will manage technical delivery, train broadcast operators and provide live matchday support throughout the agreement. This end-to-end approach will help production teams deliver accurate information and consistent graphics across both competitions.

The partnership builds on Champion Data’s experience in sports data collection, analytics and broadcast technology. They currently provide statistics for the AFL, V8 Supercars and Tennis Australia alongside many others. By integrating live match information with on-screen graphics, the company will help bring the tactical detail and drama of A-Leagues football to television and streaming audiences.

As the APL continues to develop its broadcast product across television and digital platforms. The partnership positions Champion Data as a key technology provider for the next three seasons. The collaboration will combine data expertise and broadcast innovation to improve how fans experience Australian football, bringing greater clarity, context and insight to every match.

Netflix’s Women’s World Cup deal puts IMG’s technology in the spotlight

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Netflix’s first exclusive football deal will see the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup at the centre of it’s live-sport strategy. The US-streaming service company has appointed IMG as its production partner for all 64 matches in Brazil, as well as more than 100 hours of live studio programming. The deal includes English and Spanish coverage for viewers within the US, and English and French-language coverage for those in Canada. IMG will also support Netflix’s coverage of the tournament’s draw in December.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 25 across eight host cities, and will be the first edition to feature 32 teams. The scale of the tournament makes it an ambitious first foray into sports broadcasting for Netflix – which means IMG’s involvement will be of great significance.

IMG’s production engine

IMG has built its reputation on producing and distributing live sport at scale. It’s Stockley Park, London facility includes broadcast studios, production galleries, edit suites and facilities for radio, podcasting, dubbing and visual effects. The company has worked across major properties including the Premier League, Major League Soccer and other international sporting events.

For a World Cup, this infrastructure provides more than a place to make television; it creates a central point where production teams can manage feeds, graphics, replays, commentary, editing and distribution while events are taking place thousands of kilometres away.

Remote production is the key

The most important technology for a tournament spread across eight Brazilian cities is connectivity. IMG has invested in remote-production workflows that allow production teams to work across locations, rather than putting every specialist inside each stadium. Its wider production operation has used fibre, satellite, cloud and IP-based connectivity to move live signals between venues and production centres.

That model can reduce the amount of equipment and specialist staff required at every venue while allowing senior producers, directors, replay operators and graphics teams to work from centralised facilities. IMG has also demonstrated long-distance IP production, including a 20,000-kilometre link between Tokyo and London that carried uncompressed, low-latency video. For Netflix, those capabilities are particularly relevant. The platform is building a single viewing experience for audiences in two markets, but the raw ingredients will come from stadiums spread across Brazil. A resilient network becomes just as important as the cameras themselves.

From stadium to stream

The technology chain does not end when the pictures leave the venue. A modern sports production operation has to manage ingest, replay, media asset management, graphics, audio, quality control, archiving and transmission. IMG’s facilities have been built around those workflows, with master control and transmission capabilities alongside post-production and archive operations.

That infrastructure also gives IMG the ability to turn the live tournament into a wider stream of content. A goal can become a replay, a highlight, a social clip or part of a studio package without waiting for the match to finish. For Netflix, that fits a platform built around on-demand discovery as much as live viewing.

A new test for Netflix

Netflix has already made a significant investment in football through documentaries and other programming. The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes it up a level. FIFA describes the agreement as the first competition Netflix has acquired in full, making the tournament a major test of its live sports operation. IMG therefore has a job that goes beyond producing 64 matches; it must help Netflix build the technical backbone for a month-long, multi-venue broadcast, while maintaining consistent production standards across languages and locations.

The viewer may simply press play and see a World Cup match appear instantly. Behind that button will be a complex network of cameras, connectivity, control rooms, production systems, people and data. That is the real significance of Netflix’s IMG deal: the streamer is bringing the tournament to its platform, but IMG is providing much of the machinery that can make a global football event feel seamless.

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