TOKYO: Japanese companies are racing to offer new and exciting ways of watching sports matches at home, as fans have difficulties going to venues due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A smartphone app developed by musical instruments maker Yamaha Corp. allows fans to send applause and cheers to sports venues while watching games at home.

The company has been testing the system in professional baseball and soccer games across the country since April.

The system has been welcomed by fans who say they feel like they are cheering at venues. Yamaha aims to commercialize it by the end of this year.

A service offered by mobile operator SoftBank Corp. allows users to watch virtual reality videos of all home games of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball club for 980 yen per month.

Using four cameras set behind the home base and elsewhere, the service provides videos that make viewers feel like they are on the field.

Subscriber numbers have grown by several times from a year before due to the pandemic. “Demand is expected to grow further once the use of the fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless services increases and the picture quality improves,” a SoftBank official said.

Rival KDDI Corp. has developed a smartphone app in cooperation with the Nagoya Grampus soccer club that allows up to 10 fans to cheer players together in one screen.

The app displays the faces of users on a large panel and monitors at the team’s home stadium in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, helping to boost the morale of players, according to a club official.

JIJI Press