Huffington Post makes bold move with virtual reality acquisition
AOL?s Huffington Post has acquired virtual reality studio Ryot in a bid to make more compelling mobile content for the publication and brand partners, the latest sign of how the media industry is drastically changing.
Huffington Post has acquired Rvot after working together to release a mobile-optimized virtual reality series that put the refugee crisis in focus, making its content hit closer to home. The digital publication will be making a push towards more interactive and virtual reality content for its advertisers and its own content in an attempt to become a leader in modern publishing.
?The Huffington Post disrupted traditional media, and we are now architecting a new era of journalism that will shape the global discourse through immersive media,? said Jared Grusd, CEO of The Huffington Post. ?RYOT?s innovative mediums and eye for compelling content is a unique differentiator in the 360° space and we are thrilled to welcome them to our team.?
Branding impressions
Brands will now be able to connect more with users through these immersive video tactics. While virtual reality is becoming more prevalent, it is still shiny and new to consumers, which makes marketers? leveraging it stand out.
However, when the newness wears off, the content is likely to still be highly influencing on users.
The Huffington Post will be sharing a wide range of new immersive content such as linear 360-degree video, engrossing full-length films and a bevy of virtual reality content. The new facet, named Huffington Post Rvot, is aiming to provide users with a more powerful form of journalism, a strategy vital in today?s highly diluted content industry.
The publication has noted that it is aiming for empathy with its new content, and saw significant success with its last year?s film The Crossing, which brought viewers directly into the Greece refugee crisis. The virtual reality film brought the content to life, putting a real life focus on the issue.
News content is drastically evolving at a rapid pace, and this latest acquisition will be a huge driver behind it.
As AOL is Huffington Post?s parent company, all owned and operated properties such as Autoblog, BUILD, Engadget, MAKERS and TechCrunch will be able to leverage Huffington Ryot.
Publishing new experiences
Similarly, The New York Times? released a virtual reality application and had more downloads in its first days of availability than any other app from the publisher at launch, pointing to the technology's significant potential for publishers (see more).
The North Face targeted adventure-seeking consumers through a virtual reality push and partnership with Outside Magazine in which subscribers received Google Cardboard viewers (see more).
?We are set to become leaders in the rapidly growing market and together will offer even more content to our readers and production power to our brand partners,? Mr. Grusd said.
