Intel is considering selling off its sports technology group, which works on projects like the True View cameras that create 360-degree video in more than 19 NFL stadiums for broadcasters. Sportico reported the news based on “multiple people familiar with the matter.”
True View is the Intel Sports Group’s primary project, with cameras installed in 20 NFL team’s home stadiums. (The Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams share SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.) The technology is also in eight NBA home stadiums and more than 10 soccer stadiums globally. It uses multiple cameras to create replay from volumetric data, showing it from numerous angles or perspectives.
Intel “declined to comment on rumors and speculations” to Sportico. The chipmaker has reportedly retained the investment bank PJT Partners to help explore the sale, possibly to other tech firms, media companies or special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs.
The Sports Group, formed in 2016, was focused around Intel’s acquisition of the Replay Technologies’ video tech and Voke, a video start-up.
In November, Intel shuttered Intel Studios, which was dedicated to volumetric capture with a 10,000 square-foot stage in Los Angeles with more than one hundred 8K cameras.
At the time, the company told Protocol that sports would be the driving force behind the technology, stating that “[w]e believe that the future of sports content will be driven by volumetric technology, which enables us to produce all-encompassing experiences across viewing platforms.”
But with a new CEO, it appears Intel is starting to focus more on its core products, which means selling off the impressive, expensive technology it has built up in other sectors.