Discovery Jumps Into Virtual Reality Programming

Discovery Communications is entering the virtual reality world.

The company said immersive content will be available at DiscoveryVR.com, through Apple and Android apps, Samsung Milk VR premium video service and on Discoverys YouTube channels.

Discovery Communications has long innovated by bringing together emerging technologies with a keen focus on quality content and storytelling, and Discovery VR is a natural and powerful extension of our commitment to aggressively pursuing new horizons, said Conal Byrne, senior VP of Digital Media, Discovery Communications. Virtual reality has the power to immerse fans in the action, and we look forward to telling stories in this new space like never before.

Discovery VR launches original short-form experiences that span subjects from gold mining to surfing. They include:

Mythbusters Shark Dive: In anticipation of Discovery Channel's Shweekend, a special weekend of all-new Shark Week programming on Aug. 29 and 30, Discovery VR will feature three VR experiences from the Mythbusters team in collaboration with 360Heros, exploring underwater shipwrecks and feeding frenzies in the Bahamas.

Pay Dirt: After five seasons of the hit Discovery Channel series, Gold Rush viewers have been immersed in the hardships of gold mining, but Discovery VR will shift things from the life of gold miners to a perspective from a digger that the team uses to mine.

How to Survive in the Wild: Survivorman's Les Stroud has braved the wild with little more than his wits, well-honed skills and equipment to document his adventures, and now he's been outfitted with a VR rig to take viewers through an exclusive off-the-grid trek, imparting survival knowledge at every turn.

Adventure: From freeboarding down the serpentine Lombard Street in San Francisco to taking a (virtual) surfing lesson with pro-surfer and Discovery Digital Networks' talent Kyle Thiermann, DISCOVERY VR's Adventure content leverages the power of this medium to immerse fans in new heart-pounding experiences.

Planet: Beginning with the towering Redwood Forest and the dazzling Half Moon Bay at sunset, Discovery VR's Planet section will engage users with our natural home like never before - with journeys to the desert, jungles, mountains and oceans coming soon.

Discovery VRs mobile apps and website player technology are powered by LittlStar,

LINK:	http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/technology/discovery-jumps-virtu...
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