Skip to main content

Disney poised to make virtual reality history at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards

Ask An Expert: Is VR Safe For Kids
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Virtual reality is not killing the television star, but it sure is bringing them a lot closer to fans. Today, Radio Disney announced it has partnered with virtual reality company IM360 to live-stream the red carpet of the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards in virtual reality before its live broadcast.

The 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards is set to air on the Disney Channel at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday. The show will be filmed Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Fans who can not wait until Sunday to see what Sabrina Carpenter will wear on the red carpet will be able to live-stream it in 360-degree VR on the Radio Disney YouTube channel and website. The VR content will be viewable on tablets, computers, and mobile devices.

While you watch the brightest teen stars strut around the red carpet, you’ll also be watching history. The live-stream of the red carpet in VR prior to the TV broadcast is a first for award shows. IM360 also handled the VR streaming of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, the first awards show red carpet to be simultaneously broadcast in VR and TV.

This is not IM360’s first collaboration with Disney, as the VR company worked with Disney-affiliate ABC’s Good Morning America for its GMA on Safari: Tanzania. That was the first network television program to be simultaneously broadcast in VR. The home of Mickey Mouse also recently signed a deal with Nokia to use its OZO virtual reality camera and software for future Disney films, so award show red carpets may be the proverbial toe in the VR waters before the deep dive.

Radio Disney personalities Brooke Taylor and Alex Aiono will host the VR red carpet.  The VR stream of the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards’ red carpet will air from 4 to 6 p.m. EST.

Editors' Recommendations

Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
Apple’s mixed reality headset may be delayed yet again
Apple VR Headset Concept by Antonio De Rosa.

If you believe the rumors, Apple’s top-secret mixed-reality headset has been beset with delays over the years. Now, it looks like it could be postponed even further.

That’s because reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revised his prediction for when the headset will see the light of day, pushing it back to later in 2023.

Read more
How this new Quest VR app totally sold me on exercising in virtual reality
Playing a fitness game in VR with the Quest Pro.

Including more variety of movement is important for everyone, but this is particularly critical for people like me, a tech worker that tends to spend a large amount of time behind a computer or fixed in place, interacting with the latest app on my phone.

VR is already good at inviting more movement, particularly when playing fast-action games. Having experienced this with games like Beat Saber and Until You Fall, which involve a large amount of arm movement, I was intrigued by the prospect of exercising with an app specifically designed for fitness, like Supernatural.

Read more
Mass shipment of Apple’s mixed-reality headset may be delayed
Apple VR Headset Concept by Antonio De Rosa

Just days after news emerged that Apple could be close to unveiling its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset, new information suggests that mass shipments of the product may be delayed until the second half of 2023.

The news comes courtesy of analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, whose contacts in Apple’s supply chain have helped him to call it right on other Apple-linked news in the past.

Read more