London-listed gaming operator Entain has partnered with Verizon Media to develop a highly immersive proof of concept virtual reality experience.

The collaboration will combine live sports viewing with interactive layers of sports data and gaming, enabling consumers to participate in sports events, check data, socialise with friends, and place bets on Entain platforms.

Entain and Verizon will also wok closely to develop concepts for new formats with emerging technologies like 5G, virtual reality, and augmented reality to create realistic, immersive experiences for sports fans.

“To win in the future we need to understand where consumers will be in five, ten years’ time and work with other global businesses also investing in that,” said Shay Segev, CEO of Entain.

“We envisage consumers meeting at a game with friends, who could in fact be elsewhere, using virtual reality headsets to watch, interact and share the experience together and, potentially, compete between themselves at half time or feel like they’re on the pitch with the players.”

Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media, said that the collaboration will allow both companies to maximize new opportunities across sports-betting, content and entertainment.

“Together, we are building the next-generation of content experiences for sports and gaming fans,” he added. “Our world-first 5G-enabled production studios in LA and London, creative technology teams and Verizon Media’s Immersive platform, that enables extended reality (XR) content to be created and distributed across digital channels at scale, allow partners like Entain to bring next-level immersive and interactive experiences to their customers.”

Entain already works with Verizon Media through its relationship with Verizon subsidiary Yahoo Sports.

Shares in Entain plc. (LSE:ENT) were trading 0.44 per cent higher at 11,152.00 pence per share in London early Friday morning.