CHENNAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Nium, the global platform for on-demand money movement, have announced the idea for the first ever 'Next In' global hackathon from over 9550 teams, with the aim of changing the way fans experience cricket and engage a younger audience.
In an event in Bengaluru, the idea, presented by team ‘Fanisko’, offers an enhanced live cricket viewing experience through 3D Augmented Reality, allowing users to play the game in real-time. The solution, based on Web AR technology, can integrate within the ICC app and offers in-depth player insights, bringing cricket spectators closer to the action. The event saw five teams shortlisted, and invited to present their concepts to a panel featuring Hackathon Ambassador, Dinesh Karthik, Finn Bradshaw - ICC Head of Digital, Jaya Kapur - Nium Vice President, Product Management, Joaquin Ayuso De Paul - Nium Head of Crypto & Web3, Unmish Parthasarathi - Picture Board Partners, Founder & Executive Director. Karthik said, “Cricket has always embraced innovation, no matter what your role – broadcaster, player or fan. As broadcasters we rely heavily on technology to enhance the viewing experience & as players, we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of performance & data analysis. But, today, as a fan, I am very much looking forward to what these ideas mean for the future of cricket experiences” The “Next In” Hackathon, saw 12,500 individuals form over 9550 teams from 113 countries, including over 1000 registrants from the USA, participating in the event. Among them, 32 per cent focused on improving the experience of a fan going to watch a match in the stadium, while 28 per cent centered on the use of AR/VR technologies to create a fan engagement activity or game. Bradshaw, meanwhile said that it was really exciting to see fans from over a hundred countries engage with our sport. Glodoveza, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Marketing at Nium said, "One of the key focus areas for NIUM in recent years has been the ability to attract the best talent and to empower the industry to do better with technology, particularly. This hackathon is the first step in that direction."
