Earlier last month NBC Universal’s EVP for Games and Digital Platforms, Chris Heatherly, spoke in favour of location-based virtual reality (VR) whilst noting that home-based VR still had some way to go before becoming viable as a business model. But it seems as though the company is still keen on creating content to push that home market as its collaborating with Google on several multi-episode VR productions.
NBC Universal and Google will collaborate on at least 10 multi-episode VR projects, allowing fans an even more immersive look at their favourite shows. These will include original content from Saturday Night Live, Bravo Media’s Vanderpump Rules and SYFY WIRE, with more NBC Universal networks, channels and shows to follow in the coming months, including projects from E!, NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, SYFY, Telemundo and USA Network.
“We are constantly looking for opportunities to bring consumers new ways to experience content from across the NBC Universal portfolio,” said Ron Lamprecht, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises in a statement. “This partnership combines the creative expertise of NBCUniversal with Google’s VR capabilities to create these engaging experiences. We look forward to working with Google and YouTube on more collaborations like this in the future.”
All of the experiences are being produced using Google Jump, the company’s platform for 360-degree video capture that combines professional VR cameras and automated stitching. Future select VR experiences will also be available in Google’s new VR180 format, all of which will be available via YouTube.
“NBC Universal’s networks and shows have a proven track record of high-quality storytelling that audiences can’t get enough of. Bringing them to VR lets fans connect with that content in a whole new way,” said Amit Singh, VP of Business & Operations for VR & AR at Google. “NBCU’s teams were able to easily capture engaging VR content using the latest VR Jump cameras. And with YouTube, audiences can experience it on any device, bringing them closer to their favorite series.”
To start the partnership off Bravo and Google have launched two 360 experiences featuring Lisa Vanderpump and the cast of Vanderpump Rules, with more due in the coming weeks. Thanks to the release on YouTube the content can be viewed on the web or any mobile device. Or download the YouTube app for Google Cardboard or Daydream View. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR