Yamaha and DAZN team up to launch "For The Fans Project" in Japan, a joint project to bring the excitement of sports to more fans
"Remote Cheerer powered by SoundUD", a remote cheering application, to hold a number of events using its new features
Yamaha Corporation (hereinafter "Yamaha"), together with the sports channel "DAZN", will launch the "For The Fans Project" on April 15 (Thursday).
This partnership project aims to support sports fans who are unable to attend stadiums for various reasons, and to bring the excitement and fun of live sports to as many fans as possible in various environments.
In May 2020, Yamaha released the beta version of "Remote Cheerer powered by SoundUD" (hereinafter "Remote Cheerer"), an application that allows users to enjoy remote cheering while activities at many sporting events are restricted due to the spread of COVID-19.
Just by tapping buttons on a smartphone, users can send cheers and applause to the stadium while watching sports broadcasts from home or other remote locations. To date, the system has been used in around 500 soccer, baseball, and basketball games, delivering a total of more than 100 million cheers to venues.
In February 2021, a new "Talk room" feature was launched, providing an interactive remote cheering experience where users can set up a talk room and enjoy watching the game while listening to and interacting with other fans through live commentary, chats and other audio talk.
DAZN, on the other hand, promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, and is engaged in a variety of activities to bring the excitement of sports to as many people as possible.
In order to realize the common vision of "providing a new type of sports viewing experience for fans", the two companies have decided to implement a partnership project, the "For The Fans Project".
This project aims to establish a new style of watching games through remote cheering and spread this style to provide more sports fans with new opportunities to experience cheering.
From the latter half of April, various talk room events will be held in collaboration with DAZN's original content, such as "YABECCHI STADIUM" and the "Baseball Trend Research Institute", as well as other events that will bring together sports fans from various sports, and present campaigns linked to social networking sites.
We will continue to work with the sports community to revitalize and establish a culture of remote support, and contribute to the further development of the sports world.
Comments from Martyn Jones, Executive Vice President, DAZN Japan Investment GK:
We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with Yamaha Corporation's great technology "Remote Cheerer" to further provide fans with more excitement of live sports. The spread of the new coronavirus is still affecting many people and the sporting world is with no exceptions. We believe that fans' passion and excitement make the sport as exciting as it is. "Remote Cheerer" can bring the fans and the athletes closer without being at the stadium. We also believe this is a great development in which will make sports first-hand excitement more available to a wider range of people, not just those affected by the coronavirus outbreak, but those who may have other reasons not to be able to go to the stadium easily. DAZN values Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and we hope that this project will bring the joy and excitement of sport closer to as many people as possible.
Comments from Shinobu Kawase, Managing Executive Officer, Yamaha Corporation:
Yamaha continues to take on the challenge of solving various social issues to enrich people's lives with the technology and sensibilities it has cultivated from its roots in sound and music, and "Remote Cheerer" is one such initiative. We are very pleased that DAZN Japan Investment GK shares our concept of universal design for the world of sports viewing, and that we can work together to promote a new style of viewing and remote cheering. It's great to be able to work with DAZN, which has created a world where people can watch a variety of sports anytime, anywhere, and we hope that this project will encourage more people to use "Remote Cheerer" to watch sports broadcasts. Through this project, we hope to deliver the power and excitement of sports to as many people as possible and contribute to the further development of the sports industry.
Comments from Yuki Seto, Remote Cheerer General Producer, Yamaha Corporation:
There are many people in the world who cannot go to stadiums despite wanting to, such as children who are hospitalized due to injuries or illnesses, people who are busy with childcare or work, people with physical disabilities and people supporting from overseas or distant places. We want to provide a place where such people can send their cheers directly to the players and cheer together from home. That's how we started "Remote Cheerer" back when the term "remote cheering" was not yet widespread. I believe that the world can be improved by "the latest technology and the passion of fans" - I have been working on various services and technologies, including VOCALOID, and Remote Cheerer is no different. Through this project, we hope that many people who love sports will find new ways to enjoy the game and give us suggestions for improvements and enhancements, so that we can work with fans to create a new normal for watching sports.
About "Remote Cheerer powered by SoundUD"
This is a smartphone application that allows users to send applause and other support to venues by shaking or tapping their phone while watching sports broadcasts at home, enjoy the actual sounds of venues and connect with other users through voice features and chat. You can also enjoy "talks" by sports-loving celebrities and official club and team officials.
・Remote cheering project with Football Clubs in Japan (July 6, 2020):
・Remote cheering project with Baseball Teams in Japan (July 7, 2020):