Over time, monitoring the traction that VR storytelling is having in news distribution could look to four metrics:
CONTENT
The amount of spherical video content being created by news organizations, including whether daily content or periodic features are being presented. For example, in 2015, news media outlets produced around 60 stories for virtual reality viewing, for the most part periodic features.
HEADSETS
The number of headsets in the hands of consumers. During 2015, the two headsets in widest distribution were the Samsung Gear (the company did not report how many were shipped), and Google Cardboard, a foldable cardboard viewer that Google said shipped 500,000 in 2014 and 5 million in 2015.
APPS
The number of VR apps launched by journalism entities and the number of VR players integrated into the core mobile applications of news organizations. In 2015, six (Discovery, USA TODAY NETWORK, New York Times, Russia Today, RYOT and Vrse) launched their own apps for VR viewing on mobile phones, and one (The Wall Street Journal) added VR-capable players to their core news applications.
ADVERTISING
The interest expressed by brands and advertising agencies in developing creative content that can be incorporated into or programmed adjacent
to news content. GE and Mini sponsored the distribution of cardboard viewers by The New York Times and included their own branded content in the application. But there was little direct advertising within the VR features produced by news companies.
