The Cube is Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) state-of-the-art mixed-reality studio. Harnessing the latest innovations in graphics, LED and virtual technology, the Cube created an even more immersive viewing experience for Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, tennis Grand Slams and for the Tour de France and TDF Femmes – a new opportunity taken given it was the first time such a studio has been used for cycling.

The Cube innovations supported record audience engagement for an Olympics in 50 markets in Europe, and drove record streaming audiences for its coverage of the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, the Tour de France and TDF Femmes across discovery+, Eurosport & GCN+.

For Beijing 2022, the Cube, based at Stockley Park, London, pushed the technological boundaries of studio development by creating a vast cinematic winter resort set within the face of a snow-capped mountain, offering 26 different virtual environments offering immersive presentation and analysis positions. Taking 12 months to design & build, new analysis tools included bespoke avatars resembling winter sports athletes.

Presenters could walk around and analyse the minutiae of an athletes’ performance in greater detail. Avatars populated the studio space and were transported around the resort by a functioning virtual ski lift. The Cube created thousands of different combinations to illustrate winter sports storytelling, changing the way viewers consumed content. For the Tour de France & TDF Femmes, new innovations, augmented reality analysis tools and unique virtual backdrops were created to enhance the viewer experience. A unique “inclinometer” was built – a 3D representation that brought to life the gradients faced by the peloton.

The main Cube studio in London was paired with green-screens during on-site events in Beijing (Olympics), Melbourne (Australian Open) and Paris (Roland-Garros) plus key markets around Europe, WBD ‘teleported’ athletes into a virtual world for face-to-face conversations in real-time with presenters.