Dan Gilbert Pitches Idea For 'Virtual Reality' Seats In Sports Venues

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) In the days of rocketing prices for major events on sites like StubHub, Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert wants to sell seats to people who don't have a ticket to the game.

Speaking on CNBC Friday morning, Gilbert, who owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, said he thinks the next big thing in live sports is virtual reality-type headsets that will give fans a front-row seat for the action, even if they're sitting in the living room.

"I want you to think about an arena that has 20,000 seats and your limiting factor is no matter how many people want to come to that game, you can't sell any more seats. Now you can put these 3-D things on and sit, and sell a seat, at center court," he explained.

Gilbert thinks it's a way to bring in new revenue in an era where people are shifting away from cable and similar viewing habits.

Ever been to the Super Bowl? Probably not if  you're a Lions fan (insert mic drop here), but Gilbert thinks interactive technology will let anyone and everyone feel like they're in attendance at the biggest game of the day.

"Live sports is sort of the last bastion of rights that you want to own to get big audiences at one time in some way," Gilbert said, adding that eSports are taking off in a big way. "People are going to Staples Center and watching people play video games against each other and selling out."

A recent report found that 70 million people worldwide in 2014 watched esports, or multiplayer video game competitions, with the number doubling year over year. "The average eSports viewer watches 19 times a month, with a session length of 2.2 hours," research found.

Will that translate into thousands of people paying for virtual reality seats at sporting events? The Sacramento Kings used virtual reality technology to sell premium seats, some that cost $2,000 each, at their new venue.

They had potential buyers preview the view from the pricey seats with Oculus Rift headsets. Additionally, the Sporting News noted "In the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers are among teams using virtual reality to improve player performance on the field."