Watching a match at the stadium is a unique experience. Every player and fan will say this. The 2026 World Cup has just started and is not only about sports competitions, goals and victories. It is also a chance for emotions, meetings with friends and over a month of sports flow, which will come to many Polish homes. Nowadays, more and more people appreciate the ability to follow their favorite sports games from home. The resulting experience is completely different today than it was 15 years ago. Favorite food, friends, and new technologies turn home cheering into a completely different experience. For 66 percent of surveyed fans, convenience is the main reason for switching to watching matches at home, and control over how they watch also plays an important role (45%). From reserving a “happy seat” to pre-match rituals – 80 percent. fans admit that they prefer to watch matches at home, where they can fully experience every moment without compromise. Moreover, 23 percent say watching matches from the comfort of home is more exciting than going out, and a quarter (25%) say it provides a more engaging experience.
In the beginning there was sound. It is speakers or soundbars that have turned an ordinary TV into a home theater. Now it’s time for light. It turns out that by choosing intelligent lighting you can turn your room into the best football studio in the world. Imagine that the lamp on the table or ceiling will glow in a different color when a goal is scored on the pitch or when one of the players receives a red card. The Philips Hue brand has been showing for years that light is not just a white lamp illuminating the darkness. It is an element of interior design that can stimulate and harmonize with our moods. For the World Cup, Philips Hue has prepared a real revolution that will not only delight football fans.
In the era of technological development and the growing popularity of streaming, home entertainment is evolving. Fans are looking for ways to recreate the atmosphere of the stadium within their own four walls. Philips Hue responds to this need by transforming ordinary match viewing into an interactive spectacle that engages all the senses. This is a natural evolution towards deeper immersion and personalization of experiences that you know from video games or home cinema.
A revolution in cheering! Philips Hue and WiZ introduce Sports Live – feel the match with your whole being!
Get ready for a completely new dimension of home sports entertainment! Signify, the world leader in lighting (known for the Philips Hue and Philips Smart Lighting, or WiZ) brands, announces the premiere of Sports Live – innovative software that will grace the biggest football event of this year. Sports Live’s goal is to bring the emotions from the pitch straight to your living room.
A match like no other – sports action goes beyond the screen!
Imagine: your favorite team scores a goal and the whole room lights up with winning colors! Sports Live is just that – intelligent lighting that reacts to current match events. From goals, through yellow and red cards, to other key moments – your lights dynamically change colors and intensity, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. No more boring watching – now you become part of the game! Sports Live is the result of the development of the Philips Hue and WiZ ecosystems, created for maximum immersion in the world of sports. Importantly, you do not need any additional HDMI devices or modules! The system works perfectly with existing functions, such as Hue Sync or TV synchronization in the WiZ application, providing full flexibility in building your ideal fan zone.
„Thanks to Sports Live, we go beyond simply synchronizing light with the image. Using live match data, we introduce a completely new level of precision and immersion in the world of sports. We are changing the way fans experience sports at home, making every match a truly unforgettable event” – podkreśla John Smith, Business Leader Connected Lighting.
Light that feels the game – real-time synchronization
When something important happens on the pitch – a goal, a penalty kick, or a controversial referee’s decision – your lighting reacts instantly, bringing dynamics and intensity straight to your living room. The system has been designed with live broadcasts in mind and even allows you to adjust the sync time to compensate for minor delays in the TV signal. If you take a break and pause your viewing, the lights will also stop and when you return, they will automatically sync with the current match state. This feature turns ordinary watching a match into a unique experience, all from the comfort of your home.
Thanks to an integrated API system that delivers live sports data, Philips Hue and WiZ connect you to the most important moments of the match. But that’s not all! Even during quieter parts of the game, your intelligent lighting creates an amazing atmosphere. The system cleverly adapts to the flow of the match, displaying the colors of your favorite team, the colors of the leading team, and even warm white in the event of a draw. This is a guarantee of a fully personalized show!
How does it work?
Simple setup, instant fun
Starting your adventure with Sports Live is extremely quick – it will only take you a few minutes! Just choose your favorite team and assign compatible, colorful light sources to it. The system will automatically connect to live match data and you can enjoy the game!
- For Philips Hue users: Using the Philips Hue Bridge, you can connect any supported smart lighting to Sports Live software. You can easily scale the effects – from one room to an entire zone in the house, depending on your preferences.
- For WiZ users (Philips Smart Lighting and “Connected by WiZ”): Sports Live runs on your Wi-Fi network for easy access and personalization without the need for an additional bridge. The system supports an unlimited number of light points, allowing for unlimited expansion of your home entertainment center.
Questions and answers (Q&A): Sports Live
How does Sports Live sync with the live stream?
Sports Live uses an integrated API with live sports data to trigger lighting effects in real time whenever certain events take place on the pitch. Users can precisely adjust the time in the app to compensate for minor transmission delays. If playback is paused, the lighting will also stop and resume, synchronizing with the current events in the live match.
Does Sports Live support delayed or time-shift viewing?
Sports Live is intended for live viewing. If the user starts watching a match that has already started, the lighting effects will synchronize with the current moment of the live match, rather than with previous in-game events. This ensures that the lighting always reflects what is happening in real time.
To what extent can users adjust the time?
Users can make minor time adjustments in the app to tailor the lighting effects to the specific broadcast delay (typically from a few seconds to about 2 minutes, depending on the platform). This ensures that the lighting experience is synchronized with what is currently visible on the screen.
How does this differ from traditional TV sync solutions?
Unlike traditional solutions that react to what is displayed on screen via HDMI or camera capture, Sports Live uses live match data to trigger lighting effects. This enables more precise reactions based on specific events on the pitch, without the need for additional equipment.
What match events trigger lighting effects?
Sports Live reacts to key moments such as goals, red and yellow cards and other important events in the match. During quieter moments, the lighting dynamically adjusts to the current game state.
What happens in the quieter moments of the match?
When nothing important is happening on the pitch, the system adjusts the lighting based on the context of the match – for example, displaying the colors of a specific team, the leading team, or a neutral setting in the event of a tie – maintaining an immersive but balanced viewing experience.
Can Sports Live be used with Philips Hue and Philips Smart Lighting products?
Yes. Sports Live is available in both ecosystems:
- Philips Hue works via the Hue app and Bridge.
- Philips Smart Lighting (WiZ Connected) works via the WiZ app using a Wi-Fi-based setup.
What is Philips Smart Lighting (connected by WiZ)?
Philips Smart Lighting (WiZ Connected) refers to Signify’s range of smart lighting powered by the WiZ platform. It offers an accessible, app-based smart lighting experience without the need for a Bridge.
Do users need additional synchronization hardware to use Sports Live?
NO. Sports Live works directly through the Philips Hue and WiZ apps, using live sports data. No HDMI synchronization modules (so-called HDMI sync box) or other external devices are required.
How many light points can be connected?
- Philips Hue: Users can include an unlimited number of points of light in a selected room or zone, allowing entire areas of the home to respond together to the events of the match.
- Philips Smart Lighting (WiZ Connected) Users can directly select and control an unlimited number of compatible light points, without being limited to pre-defined rooms or zones, allowing for flexible configuration throughout the home.
Is this experience always perfectly synchronized?
Sports Live is powered by external live match data. Although the system is designed for real-time response, performance may vary depending on transmission latency, network conditions and data availability.
