Aura galloping towards the future of interactive ‘3D’ live sports

Interactive OTT (over-the-top) streaming service Aura deployed The Switch’s cloud-based MIMiC Transmission Service to power live coverage via multiple viewpoints from the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival, Australia’s most famous annual horse race.

These included track-side cameras, jockey-cam views, race data and bonus content from accompanying events including the Lexus Melbourne Cup and exclusive marquee parties. 

For the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival, Aura created a 3D version of Victoria Racing Club’s Flemington Racecourse, where the event took place, with racing enthusiasts able to navigate back and forth between nine live feeds. This included two track-side 360-degree camera feeds and seven fixed camera feeds showing live races, interviews, celebrity promos and other shoulder programming.

MIMiC Transmission handled the low-latency delivery of all fixed camera feeds to the Aura platform, ensuring fans worldwide were able to use the platform to enjoy race day in real time.

Antony Arena, CEO of Aura, highlighted, “Our platform is highly unique in that it’s a streaming service built on a video-game engine, enabling us to redefine the way live events are enjoyed.

“Being able to rely on The Switch’s deep live sports experience and its leading-edge cloud transmission service played a big part in enabling us to seamlessly deliver a unique race day for viewers around the world.

“This project was a milestone moment for us and an incredibly exciting glimpse into the interactive future of live sports.”

MIMiC Transmission provided low-latency IP delivery of multiple feeds from the Flemington Racecourse directly to the Aura Platform via the internet and The Switch’s private network. In the Aura platform, users were able to curate their own viewing experience by selecting multiple camera angles, while engaging with interactive content such as live racing data, jockey stats, racecourse weather conditions and social media conversations.