BMW has teamed up with the German Bundesliga - the country's top-flight soccer league - for a pilot program allowing BMW 7 Series owners to watch selected soccer content on the new Curved Display. The content will be made available via an app on the display, which will be delivered to the cars via an over-the-air update.
According to BMW, the Bundesliga in-car App will initially be available in Germany, with other countries to follow shortly. The earmarked countries include regions of Europe, America, and Asia. This new feature will be rolled out in future nearly launched models, most likely also equipped with the new Curved Display and the iDrive 8 operating system.
The pilot program will run until the end of March 2024.
BMW says the Bundesliga in-car app will only play video footage while the car is stationary. When moving, the driver can listen to an audio stream of the content. The year-long program will allow software engineers to improve the app because the available content will likely stretch far beyond soccer, meaning we might get to watch the Superbowl while waiting for an i7 to recharge at some point in the next few years.
This initial test is about more than soccer but rather the idea of on-demand content. In this application, the content streamed will be made up of highlights, match data, and selected live content, all tailored specifically for use in a vehicle.
BMW 7 Series and i7 owners will only be able to use the streaming service after activating the Personal eSIM in their vehicle. Here in the USA, the system will be able to stream high-definition content thanks to 5G.
It may seem odd, but we can think of several applications. In a chauffeur-driven 7 Series, the driver will spend a lot of time in or near the car waiting for the owner. BMW i7 owners will also spend roughly 35 minutes at fast-charging stations, providing the perfect opportunity to catch up on some stuff.
Soccer is the most popular sport globally, but we can see how BMW can set up multiple partnerships to provide content to its customers. It could be tailored via region so Americans can watch the NFL, NBA, or the IMSA Racing Series. It doesn't even need to be a sport. BMW 7 Series drivers are the kind of people who want to stay updated with global and market-related news.
The press release doesn't say whether the content will be available on the famous Theatre Screen. The most likely explanation is that this impressive technology is not a standard feature on any 7 Series trim. But thanks to over-the-air updates, it will almost certainly become available during the pilot program.
