The Emmys and Facebook have struck a social media deal that will see exclusive live footage and 360-degree videos from the awards ceremony hosted on the social network.
Host Jimmy Kimmel will see his monologue shot in 360-degrees from the Microsoft Theater’s orchestra pit, allowing Facebook users to pan around the stage and take in a view of the star-studded audience.
The video of the opening speech, alongside other 360-degree content, will be simultaneously posted to Kimmel’s Facebook page, alongside the official ABC Television Network’s page and the Emmys page.
Facebook will also host additional 360-degree videos from the Emmys red carpet, and behind-the-scenes at the show itself, reports Variety. All the clips will be available on desktops, mobiles, and in virtual reality on the Samsung Gear VR headset courtesy of the Facebook-owned Oculus Video app.
As part of the pact between the Television Academy and Facebook, a number of celebrities will go live on the social network, including nominees Anthony Anderson, Felicity Huffman, and Sterling Brown. There will also be “thank-you cam” livestreams from select award winners, and a look inside the Emmy magazine portrait studio.
The comprehensive partnership will include an official “Boomerang Booth” backstage for the short GIF-like videos associated with the Instagram spinoff app.
“We are thrilled to be working with Facebook on so many exciting efforts surrounding the Emmys this year,” said Television Academy president and COO Maury McIntyre. “Facebook is one of our audience’s primary platforms, and Facebook’s 360 capabilities and Live product are great ways to give television fans fresh, new insight into the behind-the-scenes action at the Emmys.”
Facebook has been updating its 360-degree video publishing tools of late, in an effort to make the clips more immersive. In August, the platform introduced new editing features and announced it had started testing its very own image stablization system for the format.
The Emmys air on ABC on September 18.
