European operator Sky announced a new virtual reality app on Monday, Sky VR. It’s available as a free download and offers immersive, 360-degree videos from Sky, including “Star Wars: Red Carpet,” “Anthony Joshua: Becoming World Champion” and clips from Disney’s “The Jungle Book.”
Sky also is revealing two new virtual reality experiences: “Sky Sports: Closer” featuring David Beckham, and later in October, it will offer a performance from English National Ballet’s production of “Giselle.” In his second piece of VR content for Sky Sports, Beckham is seen entering a Sky VR simulator, which takes him and the viewer to visit sports events. The footage was created in-house by the Sky VR Studios, in collaboration with Google.
“Interest in VR content is building, generating more excitement every day. We are just at the beginning of our VR journey at Sky, launching Sky VR studios earlier this year and we are already breaking new ground,” Gary Davey, managing director, content at Sky, says. “Now comes the creative challenge of deploying this immersive experience with engaging story-telling. I am a big believer.”
The first version of the app will give viewers a 360-degree video experience. Sky reports it will add more to the app over the coming months, introducing more immersive VR features. Sky also says it will be giving away thousands of Google Cardboards to people visiting Sky Backstage at The O2 from 20 October.
At launch the Sky VR app will be home to around 20 different pieces of 360-degree video content from Sky, Disney, Fox Innovation Lab, Warner Brothers, Baobab Studios, Jaunt, Innerspace and Surround Vision.
In 2013, Sky invested in Jaunt, a U.S.-based company offering cinematic virtual reality. Since then, Sky has been carrying out testing across a range of events including an interview in VR with David Beckham and Kirsty Gallacher, which saw him select his top three Premier League goals.
The app will let anyone watch the VR content on a smartphone either in conjunction with a Google Cardboard headset or in 2D (360 degrees) without a headset. The app also will work when using Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift.
