Behind The Scenes Of The Lions AR Team Launch

The British & Irish Lions squad launch deployed extended reality to bring one of sport’s most anticipated announcements to life.

Developed by CSM, the reveal was the first in a series of virtual and hybrid events and saw the agency create a virtual British & Irish Lions studio in London as well as producing a 75-minute broadcast, streamed via the Lions YouTube channel, social channels and website, and the official Lions app powered by Vodafone. 

The show included in-person interviews, interviews via Zoom brought onto the stage, and the use of AR technology to “teleport” the Captain, Alun Wyn Jones, into the environment from a remote location.

The technology was created using Smartstage which provided the perfect 3D environment to align with The British & Irish Lions bespoke design, integrating its partners into the product.

The bespoke design also allowed the Lions to drop in legends from the four corners of the UK and Ireland and ensure that a livestream package could be placed through broadcast and online digital channels. 

“The squad announcement is one of the most anticipated moments in world rugby and we were keen we delivered something different in a Covid environment,” said Shane Whelan, Director of Digital, Marketing and Communications, The British & Irish Lions.

“That something different was to produce the reveal of the captain and squad in a virtual reality fashion. This involved months of planning between Lions and CSM. We were thrilled with the result. 

“Being able to host a live programme like this on official owned channels of the Lions resulted in huge engagement numbers across our social media platforms and achieved excellent broadcast and media exposure. It was an exciting moment to reveal our 2021 captain via augmented reality to create a hologram across the live digital and broadcast channels. In addition, having so many Lions legends on stage was fantastic considering none of them had to leave their homes. We were delighted with the overall project.’

Adam Shapland, Associate Director at CSM added: “The delivery of the squad announcement is a hugely significant moment for sport in 2021 and a world first for any rights holder. It was fantastic to be able to work with The British and Irish Lions to bring this to life and show the world what the future of live experiences and events can look like for the next generation of fans. CSM’s expertise and knowledge in this space, coupled with the excitement and anticipation of rugby’s most prestigious tour, made for an unforgettable squad announcement. And there is much more to come”