TOKYO—Sony is going into the 2014 World Cup with key initiatives focused on 4K, entertainment, digital and social outreach. Sony is an official partner of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the governing body of the World Cup.
On the 4K front, Sony is bringing the arsenal—from the cameras to the workflow to the TV sets. The vendor will participate with FIFA in the creation of the Official 2014 World Cup Film in 4K, and will provide the gear to do live 4K coverage of selects matches. Sony announced some details of the 4K initiative in early April.
“In addition to 4K, Sony will also be supplying FIFA with an extensive range of HD production and broadcast equipment, including approximately 300 cameras. These will be used to film every game of the tournament for global distribution in HD,” the company said in an announcement.
As many as 20,000 Sony showrooms will run 4K World Cup footage on Sony’s 4K sets. Venues throughout Brazil will be outfitted with Sony 4K Bravia LCDTV sets.
Sony also is leveraging its entertainment power. Sony artists such as Ricky Martin, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Brazil’s Claudia Leitte are being featured. Carlos Santana will close the tournament with the “official” 2014 World Cup anthem, “Dar um Jeito.” The music division will put out the tournament’s official album.
In the way of digital and social media experience, Sony is launching online
Portals for the games. One Stadium will be a “global hub for communication on football, that offers an array of projects and content…” One Stadium Live will be a social networking site that “sorts and offers the latest and popular football topics from Twitter etc. for easy reference.” Fan Ambassador reports will be generated by fans representing 11 countries stationed in Brazil, ready to upload on-site action. The United photo contest is being launched and Sony’s social news reader app will feature footballer stories.
In gaming, Sony Computer Entertainment and Electronic Arts are presenting partners of the FIFA Interactive World Cup, which Sony describes as “the world’s largest online gaming tournament,” and is played on PlayStations. More than 2.5 million players participated last year, Sony said.
As part of its corporate social responsibility as a global company, Sony is providing “mobile stadiums and educational workshops that aim to build leadership and dialogue skills through football, to more than 14,000 children” in 12 Central and South American countries. It’s also training young “leaders in 11 countries” in media skills, on Sony gear.
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