In 2022, the Minnesota Twins partnered with shared augmented reality platform ARound to bring AR experiences like mini games to baseball fans during home games at Target Field in Minneapolis. For the 2023 season, ARound has expanded its offerings by integrating real-time sports APIs to give Twins fans access to in-depth statistics during games.
With this expansion, fans of the Minnesota team can view stats like spray charts, exit velocities and launch angles in AR, with the on-screen information matching each person’s real-world view of the ballpark. Fans can also view historical data for players and teams, as well as access educational content related to the sport.
The ARound app is available for free on iOS and Android devices. The platform’s official MLB statistics have been licensed from sports technology company Sportradar.
“We are thrilled to introduce our fans to this next-level experience that will resonate with avid and casual fans alike,” said Chris Iles, Minnesota Twins senior director of innovation and growth. “These broadcast-style data visualizations served in real-time, and customized to where fans are in Target Field, have the potential to significantly enhance the way fans enjoy Twins games while bridging generations of baseball fans.”
This update also added retailer Target to the platform’s Batter Up AR game, which allows fans to compete with others during Twins games. Target’s bull terrier mascot, Bullseye, has been added as the AR game’s pitcher.
“We’ve made incredible inroads in shared AR since piloting this app with the Twins last August, consistently refining the platform in response to fan and team feedback,” said Josh Beatty, founder and CEO of ARound. “Incorporating stats into the experience was a frequent request. Now, as we enter our second season with the Twins, we’re excited to bring forward a more advanced experience, integrating richer visualizations and AR entertainment to captivate fans of all kinds.”
During the initial pilot between the Minnesota Twins and ARound, ARound said its users averaged roughly 26 minutes of engagement in the ARound app per game.
Following this 2022 launch with the Twins, ARound debuted its augmented reality experience with a number of additional sports teams, including the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Cavaliers. ARound is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud.
