Sony’s Beyond Sports is collaborating with ESPN, Disney, and the NBA for Dunk the Halls, the first-ever real-time, animated alternate presentation of an NBA game. The special Christmas Day alternate presentation of the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs game 12 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Dec. 25 will use data processing and real-time visualization technology from Beyond Sports, as well as optical tracking technology from Hawk-Eye Innovations, to insert iconic Disney characters into the game action using 3D animation, while the two teams play in real time.
Dunk the Halls will be presented on ESPN2, ESPN+, and on Disney+.
Fans watching Dunk the Halls will see animated versions of every play from the real-life Spurs vs. Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York, with iconic Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, Chip and Dale will be inserted into the telecast. Fans can also expect to see them participate in a halftime slam dunk contest, delivering pregame and halftime speeches to the players; and decorating a large Christmas tree during the game. Elves will operate cameras, with Santa Claus operating ESPN’s “SkyCam” during the game.
Dunk the Halls is the third major sports telecast in 2024 to use Sony’s Beyond Sports’ real-time visualization engine, including the NHL Big City Greens Classic 2 on Mar. 9 and the NFL The Simpsons Funday Football on Dec. 9. The technology was also used for the three-time Sports Emmy Award-winning Toy Story Funday Football, featuring the Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game in London in Oct. 2023.
The increasing popularity of these special presentations highlights the changing landscape of sports broadcasting and continuing shifts in audience behaviors. With heightened competition for viewers and advertisers from new content services and platforms, more broadcasters are creating new experiences that attract and retain new and existing viewers, including multi-generational audiences, in exciting and entertaining ways.
“Real-time visualization and virtual alternate productions have clearly emerged from being a novelty into an established tentpole of broadcast and streaming programming,” comments Sander J. Schouten, managing director and co-founder at Beyond Sports. “Every time, we’re ready to deliver an innovative, immersive, and interactive altcast that puts viewers right in the heart of the action. This isn’t just the future of sports consumption—it’s the trend reshaping the industry today. With our latest telecast, fans can expect all of that, plus an added touch of Christmas magic.”
Sony and Beyond Sports boast the Christmas Day telecast marks the first time that Beyond Sports technology will be used for basketball. The production will combine Beyond Sports’ data processing and real-time visualization technology with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, allowing each Spurs and Knicks player to appear as a motion-enabled, animated player.