Dive Brief:

• Sony's digital streaming service Crackle will soon come with virtual reality (VR) content and the opportunity for VR-based advertising, TechCrunch reports. 
• Crackle's original series will come with an ad solution Sony is calling "break-free advertising," which will enable advertisers to get one of five available VR ad spots in each episode of a 10-episode series. 
• Advertisers will get a total of 10 spots over the series and be able to tell their story across episodes, according to Sony. These ads will come packaged with a story arc of content — such as insights about the show's characters from the creators — designed to capture the viewer's attention. 

Dive Insight:

The leading digital streaming providers are all jockeying to get into VR. Netflix and Hulu previously stated their intentions to roll out VR content and compatibility with Samsung's Gear VR headsets, while more recently HBO and Discovery announced they have taken a stake in OTOY, which does 3D-rendering for VR and AR video.

Now, Sony's digital streaming service Crackle is looking to get in on the act and provide advertisers with the opportunity to get into VR ads as well. Crackle aims to create a virtual reality-enabled home theater environment that's compatible with smartphones, Google Cardboard, Samsung’s Gear VR and PlayStation VR, according to TechCrunch. Sony claims it will be the first streaming service to support virtual reality-enabled advertising opportunities. 

Notably, Sony did not say whether Facebook's Oculus Rift would be supported. Digiday reported late last year that Facebook was pitching agencies on the marketing opportunities that would soon be available via its Oculus Rift VR headset. 

While it may seem like early days for VR and AR technology, a Gartner report estimates that by 2018 around 25 million virtual and augmented reality headsets will be sold to consumers. The trend has yet to take off in a big way, but marketers should keep a close eye on the development of VR technology and advertising opportunities with the medium. If consumers increasingly adopt VR and AR technology as predicted, content providers will continue to integrate the technology into their offerings for consumers and advertisers.