The New York Times is diving deeper into the world of immersive video with the launch of “The Daily 360.”
The feature, which launched on Tuesday, promises the daily delivery of a 360-degree video from Times’ journalists based around the world,with each of them shooting their segments with a Samsung Gear 360 camera.
“Our first Daily 360 video offers a rare glimpse inside war-torn Yemen, with footage shot by the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Tyler Hicks and the reporter Ben Hubbard,” the iconic news publication said in a piece announcing the new initiative.
And of course, from now till next Tuesday, readers can expect to see several dispatches focusing on Hillary and The Donald. “In the days before the presidential election, Times correspondents across the country will be filing footage from both the campaign trail and from locations where the biggest issues play out on the ground,” the media outlet said.
The Daily 360’s arrival marks a notable expansion of the Times’ VR efforts, which began in earnest last year with the release of its VR mobile app for viewing short features like this one. In a bid to get its readers to jump on board, it’s so far handed out more than a million Google Cardboard VR viewers to its subscribers, though it’s not known how many of them have actually taken the time to put it together and stick their phone in.
While a headset offers the best immersive experience, you can also view the Times’ wraparound videos on your phone or tablet using its mobile and VR apps, or by visiting nytimes.com. Samsung’s premium VR content service will also be making the material available.
We don’t expect that the New York Times will be replacing its regular video content with 360 productions anytime soon, but the publication is clearly keen to keep up with developments in the technology and try out new media tools to see how they can enhance its current suite of offerings. So let’s wait and see if The Daily 360 manages to deliver.
