Time Inc. previewed today LIFE VR, an innovative video platform from the iconic LIFE brand that will showcase the world through the lens of virtual reality. LIFE VR , Time Inc.’s dedicated VR platform, will offer immersive, next-level storytelling culled from Time Inc.’s 100 global brands, including: Time, People, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.
The VR platform will feature experiences across every passion with channels dedicated to news, sports, celebrity, fashion, food, travel, finance and more.
The announcement by Time Inc. follows several VR experiences by this media company, and is framed into the new VR storytelling trend currently being shaped and adopted, among many others others by The Guardian (first ever 360º VR journalistic documentary”6×9 a virtual experience of solitary confinement”) and Samsung, who carried out the first ever 360º live streaming experience of teh opening ceremony at Lillehammer latest YOG (Youth Olimpic Games).
Operated under the auspices of Time, The Foundry and Time Inc. Studios, LIFE VR will house all the virtual reality content from Time Inc. brands and will debut this fall as a free standalone app on iOS and Android.
There will be a mobile viewer experience for users of compatible goggles as well as 360º video experienced through the handset alone.
Chris Hercik, VP of Creative + Content at The Foundry; Mike Beck and Ian Orefice, Senior Executive Producers of Time Inc. Video; and Mia Tramz, Managing Editor of the LIFE VR initiative and Senior Multimedia Editor of Time compose the leading team.
LIFE VR is a natural extension of the LIFE brand, one of the most followed media brands on Pinterest (currently with 1 million followers) that also has nearly 4.5 million Twitter followers.
Launched in 1936 LIFE quickly became the country’s preeminent cultural chronicler, showcasing the most compelling photographs of the times and revealing the stories behind them. LIFE VR is a natural extension for the brand and is in keeping with Henry Luce’s vision for the brand
This initiative is also another example of Time Inc.’s multifaceted video strategy to deliver its world-class video storytelling to consumers across all channels, platforms and devices.
LIFE VR follows a series of virtual reality efforts from the company, including InStyle’s first VR experience last October which featured a three-minute tour of a cover shoot starring Drew Barrymore and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s VR experiences taking viewers inside the photo shoots of former cover models on location that were presented in the SI Swim mobile app. In support of this effort, the company has formed development partnerships with leading VR companies Framestore, NextVR and WEVR, and several projects are currently in development.
Image over the headline.- © Time Inc.
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The Guardian releases 6×9, its first ever 360º VR journalistic documentary
