Now Sky’s doing virtual reality reporting – with help from the Silicon Valley VR startup Jaunt it invested in
Sky is the latest media company to embrace the brave new world of virtual reality, following in the footsteps of the New York Times across the pond.
Its news channel has produced a video report, called Migrants Crisis – The Whole Picture, which can be experienced by viewers virtually, placing them deeper wihin the story.
Touted as an immersive experience, VR has captured the imagination of the US media, but its understood the film is the first serious foray into the burgeoning technology by any major British media organisation.
The New York Times sent out a million Google Cardboards (that's Google's super simple VR device made of cardboard) to subscribers so they can watch reports on its very own VR app, the first of which was The Displaced, a film about children from the Sudan, Ukraine and Syria. Frontline and the Des Moines Register in the US have also been experimenting.
Sky's film can also be watched with Google Cardboard. A smartphone screen is inserted in the cardboard goggles which brings it to life.
Sky's VR venture was helped by Jaunt, a Silicon Valley-based startup working on VR technology in which the company invested last year. The video can be found on Jaunt's app.
“This new technology has enhanced our story telling, giving our viewers a deeper and richer visual experience. For the first time we can take viewers to the scene of a news story in a way that is more immersive than ever," said Sky News director of output John McAndrew.
The report gives viewers a unique perspective on the migration crisis. By taking them inside the tents where people are living and seeing what it’s like to stand on a crowded beach with possessions scattered along the shoreline, you get a new understanding of what is happening.”
The film can also be watched in 360 degree for those who don't have a VR viewer on Sky's facebook page.
Or watch below on your phone by tilting it.
Migrants Crisis: The Whole Picture
Witness the migrants crisis through the eyes of a refugee. Tilt your phone as you watch this video to experience a 360 degree view of a migrants' camp in Lesbos. Download the ‘Jaunt' app on iOS – http://bit.ly/iossnvr1 – or the 'Sky News: Migrant Crisis’ app on Android http://bit.ly/askyvr1 – and use a Google Cardboard viewer to see the fully immersive experience.
Posted by Sky News on Sunday, 15 November 2015
Major technology companies such as Google, Facebook, Samsung and Sony are spearheading the rise of VR, and even Apple is jumping aboard the bandwagon.
"Facebook and Google are the market-makers for virtual reality, controlling the full spectrum of assets needed for success in the field: hardware, software, content, distribution networks, advertising and more," said CCS insights in its predictions for 2016.