Marco della Cava

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO - Fox Sports announced Wednesday that it has inked a five-year agreement with NextVR that will find a growing slate of the network's sporting events broadcast in virtual reality.

The first event in the multi-year partnership will be the Daytona 500, airing Feb. 21, with additional programs to be announced later this year. By watching the event in virtual reality, which offers a 360-degree view of a location, viewers will get to experience the race with a level of realism that doesn't exist in a traditional TV format. In 2015, Fox and NextVR gave the concept a test-ride by broadcasting boxing, racing and golf in virtual reality.

In order to view the free live Daytona 500 race in virtual reality, users will have to download the NextVR app to their Android smartphone for viewing through a Samsung Gear VR headset.

The partnership is significant in that it marks another milestone for the coming VR push, which is expected to gather momentum this year with the appearance of high-end VR devices from Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony Morpheus. Google has energized its VR efforts of late by making Clay Bavor head of that division at the company, while Facebook got a jump start on the field with its purchased of Oculus Rift. And while Apple has never acknowledged publicly that it is working on VR tech, it has made acquisitions such as FaceShift that indicate it is playing around in the space.

Super Bowl fans get hit of virtual reality future

By 2020, virtual and augmented reality will represent a $120 billion business, according to industry advisors Digi-Capital.

At the recent Super Bowl, NextVR, Jaunt and other virtual reality platform providers and content producers were on hand to demonstrate to fans the scope of their tech while at the same time hoping to make deals with the outfits that hold the rights to broadcasting big events.

“We have worked with Fox Sports for over a year to test live, virtual reality programming across several sports,” said Brad Allen, executive chairman, NextVR, said in a statement. “This wide-ranging agreement is proof that our technology provides an exciting and compelling option to witness great sporting events in virtual reality.”

NextVR promises to bring Daytona 500 fans to the race's starting line, the middle of the fan-packed infield and into the pits for tire-changing action. The VR stream will also feature audio commentary and race leader graphics.

“It’s all about delivering something new and exciting for our viewers,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports president, COO and executive producer. “Virtual reality is the next great frontier in immersive experiences for fans across a wide variety of sports. It’s a rapidly changing technology, and this deal with NextVR positions us to be on the front lines for years to come.”

Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter @marcodellacava.