It s still very early days for Virtual Reality (VR) and there have been predictions for its disruptive impact on everything from filmed entertainment to journalism. Although it is difficult to predict the impact, it is reasonable to expect that VR will not repeat the failure of stereo 3D.
According to Ampere analyst Andrew White, VR does not compete with standard video in the same way that 3D did since there is no way to convert 360-video to 2D while retaining the original context. VR, he suggests, should be seen as an entirely new medium, running in parallel or as a companion to TV and movies, rather than as an evolution of them.
JPMorgan Securities forecasts VR to be a $13.5bn industry by 2020 mainly comprised of hardware sales topping 89.3m units. Growing sales of consumer gear are predicated on content to watch but here too production seems to be moving at an astonishing pace.
While video games remain the big initial content draw for consumer VR, likely to be given a boost when Sony debuts Playstation VR in October, movie studios and filmmakers are extending their ambition from short marketing promos to longer form stories. A first feature length VR action movie is planned for release in 2017 by cinema motion-seat developer D-Box and The Virtual Reality Company, a producer which counts Steven Spielberg as a shareholder.
To mention just two of many significant investments in this space, VR display maker HTC recently earmarked $100m for content, and Disney invested $65m in 360-video camera maker and producer Jaunt VR.
Facebook arguably kicked off the current surge with its $2bn purchase of Oculus Rift in 2014. Since then, Facebook and Google have developed an ecosystem for VR from capture to distribution. Google will next launch Daydream, an advanced operating system for Android complete with Daydream-ready phones, and motion controllers; while Facebook has its own 17-camera rig design pending. Google is also making a cinema-style VR camera with IMAX which is launching a number of physical VR cinemas this year.
Broadcasters have spent the year road-testing VR on everything from documentaries to talk shows with most of the development focussed on live events.
Currently, there is a joint industry initiative to make the technology work and drive uptake by enticing customers to the platform with free content, says Futuresource Consulting analyst Carl Hibbert. As soon as consumer payment becomes a core component, rights will become a major issue whether that's sports, concerts or other types of event.
Sponsors are already investing. Automotive brand Lexus sponsored The Open Golf produced by US VR live stream specialist NextVR for Fox Sports. NextVR plans to test subscription and single view pay-per-view models this year, mostly around live music events. 2016 is a year of audience building. We are not going to put a paywall in the way of audience aggregation, says co-founder Dave Cole.
VR opens up new opportunities in advertising on multiple fronts. An entire industry is growing around promotional VR experiences, notes White. VR offers the opportunity for brands to touch consumers in ways which were previously unthinkable. With YouTube and Facebook both offering platforms for 360-video, more conventional agencies will see new channels opening up for immersive advertisements.
Outside of gaming and entertainment VR has a future in all manner of industries from flight simulation to architectural fly-throughs. Applications in education including teaching via virtual classrooms and providing digitized campus tours to prospective students. VR is also making exciting strides in the healthcare market. Indeed, the global AR and VR healthcare market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around 17.8% in the next five years to reach $1.45bn by 2020 [Research and Markets]. Earlier this year the first live broadcast by VR of a surgical operation was streamed from St Bart s hospital in London.
VR @ IBC2016: Brace yourself for a VR explosion:
Get yourself a primer with VR and AR 101: The Masterclass as Solomon Rogers, founder and CEO of Rewind takes a practical look at VR technology and how it can be used to produce content.
From TV to VR: A journey is Alex Mahon s personal take as the ex-CEO of Shine Group, now CEO of The Foundry.
The Art and Technology of VR Storytelling examines the new medium from a creative standpoint followed by a lively discussion explaining the emerging cinematic vocabulary.
Visual and audio grammar is explored in depth in a Paper session led by Simon Gauntlett, CTO of the DTV Group. Exploring New Ideas in VR & 360 Immersive Media .
A Rising Stars session Virtual Reality: The new reality features expert commentary from GoPro s Alexandre Jenny and Michael Ford, a 360VR Producer at Infinite Wisdom Studios.
Not yet got your IBC2016 Conference pass? Register now to take advantage of Early Bird discounts: IBC.org/register
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
28/10/2025
ESPN Announces Monsters Funday Football', Its Latest Real-Time Animated Bro...
28/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe Ole Miss alum is an operational force behind ESPN's extensive college-football catalo...
28/10/2025
Elevating the experience: AI and data take Ryder Cup to the next level By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 10:25
Print This Story
NBC produced th...
28/10/2025
Conquering the Air (waves): Taking a close up look at the IBC Accelerator Priva...
28/10/2025
World Series 2025: Spectrum SportsNet LA Brings Dodgers Fans Closer to the Actio...
28/10/2025
Dylan Southern and Benedict Cumberbatch at the premiere of The Thing with Feathers (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
28/10/2025
For three weeks in Lagos, Spotify's Greasy Tunes Caf pop-up brought the cit...
28/10/2025
Once a niche subculture, German rap has evolved into an influential cultural movement. Now, Spotify is giving the genre a new home with OFFCULT, a playlist dedi...
28/10/2025
Shane Delia's Malta serves up the Mediterranean this summer
28 October, 2025
Media releases
Feast on 9,000 years of culinary history Mondays from 24 No...
28/10/2025
SBS's global sporting festival continues with the FIVB Beach Volleyball Worl...
28/10/2025
Bilbao, October 28, 2025 - AgileTV, a leading technology solutions company for t...
28/10/2025
Disney, NBCUniversal, FOX, Paramount Each Achieve Double-Digit Monthly Growth
...
28/10/2025
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has announced an agreement to sell WRTV, its local ABC-affiliated station in Indianapolis, to Circle City Broadcasting for $...
28/10/2025
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2025 Top Music...
28/10/2025
NEW YORK As AI usage continues to spike, a new study from IAB delves into an important aspect of how AI is transforming the advertising business with new data s...
28/10/2025
Charlie Jablonski, a broadcast tech pioneer who helped shape the modern era of Olympics television coverage, died Oct. 25 at his home in Lake George N.Y., the N...
28/10/2025
VIENNA, Austria Bitmovin has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insights into video playback. The so...
28/10/2025
LOS ANGELES LucidLink, the file streaming platform, has announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities at Adobe Max....
28/10/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced that it has joined the Ama...
28/10/2025
Lightware, an industry leader in connectivity and signal management solutions, has announced a major update to its Taurus
platform, which now delivers flawless...
28/10/2025
Following a successful mid-September International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Hiltron Communications will promote its full range of satellite communi...
28/10/2025
Open Broadcast Systems has chosen MC&S (Media Consulting & Services) as a reseller to help strengthen its presence in France.
With over twenty years of experi...
28/10/2025
Bitmovin, leading provider of video streaming solutions, has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insi...
28/10/2025
Ease Live, the leader in interactive TV technology, today announced the successful launch of interactive graphical overlays for UEFA Champions League matches fo...
28/10/2025
LucidLink, the file streaming platform, today at Adobe MAX announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities, streamlining collaboration and hel...
28/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has promoted Nick Hasenecz to general manager of WNDU, its NBC affiliate in the South Bend-Elkhart, Ind., market....
28/10/2025
Applications Open for Berklee Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant Boston nonprofits can apply by December 12 for funding to support community projects that ...
28/10/2025
28 Oct 2025
VEON's JazzCash Wins Silver Award for Innovation in Lending at ...
28/10/2025
Guests include Wayne Rooney, Maya Jama, Dame Laura Kenny, Chloe Kelly, Chris McC...
28/10/2025
The two-hour special, recorded live from the iconic Dolby Theatre in LA, will ai...
28/10/2025
Eutelsat upgrades teleports with Rohde & Schwarz satellite uplink amplifiers High efficiency and resilient Ku-band amplifiers for excellent RF performance
...
28/10/2025
These appointments come at a pivotal time for ABC, as the organisation continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of a digital-first media ecosystem. The ne...
28/10/2025
Scripps Research awarded $4 million to advance platform for neurodevelopmental disorders The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant support...
27/10/2025
You can touch this: Haptics becoming central to the virtual live experience By Adrian Pennington
Friday, October 24, 2025 - 09:12
Print This Story
The vid...
27/10/2025
A tale of two trailers: France's Stop & Go doubles up with its new hybrid tr...
27/10/2025
Pro Padel League Stages City's Cup Finals Inside NYC's Hammerstein Ballr...
27/10/2025
World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation U...
27/10/2025
ESPN Extends Partnership With Sony's Beyond Sports To Expand Animated Altern...
27/10/2025
Reid Davenport attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Life After at The Ray Theatre on January 27, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Robin Marsha...
27/10/2025
As the days grow shorter and the nights get darker, there's nothing like getting swept up in a story that sends shivers down your spine. In honor of spooky ...
27/10/2025
UPDATE: Both parties have reached a new carriage agreement....
27/10/2025
LONDON As Hollywood jumps into the production of mini-dramas, a new study from Ampere Analysis finds that more than one in 10 internet users have watched drama ...
27/10/2025
LONDON Yealink, a provider of unified communication and collaboration solutions, has joined the NDI ecosystem with the availability of its SmartVision 80 premiu...
27/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Chris Conroy as general manager of its stations in Cleveland, leading WOIO, a CBS affiliate, The CW station WUAB and Telemundo outl...
27/10/2025
ESPOO, Finland European connectivity leaders Nokia and Ericsson, have partnered with Berlin's Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), to shape and drive ...
27/10/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast has expanded NOW TV Latino, its Spanish-language live TV and streaming offering, adding five more channels from Univision, ViX Premium with...
27/10/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present its latest products and solutions at InterBEE 2025 (Hall 5, Booth 5218) Makuhari Messe in Chiba, ...
27/10/2025
Back to All News
City of Shadows, the New Netflix Thriller Arrives on December 12
Entertainment
27 October 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Downl...
It s still very early days for Virtual Reality (VR) and there have been predictions for its disruptive impact on everything from filmed entertainment to journalism. Although it is difficult to predict the impact, it is reasonable to expect that VR will not repeat the failure of stereo 3D.
