Getty Images Ventures Into VR With Launch Of Own VR Group
Virtual reality is becoming one of the tech world’s most interesting market niches, and many companies are taking steps to invest in its presumably bright future. Seattle-based Getty Images, one of the world’s biggest supplier of photos and video clips for a broad spectrum of media groups, corporations, and creative professionals, has now become one of the companies to invest in VR’s stellar future. Getty Images has launched its VR arm, with its own VR group intended to provide stock VR visuals for a wide audience.
With more than 80 million photos and 50,000 hours of video clips, Getty Images is looking to expand its ever-growing visual media portfolio thanks to its venture into virtual reality. The addition of VR in its portfolio will see immersive 360-degree content available for use in many media outlets and press releases.
The company’s interest in VR began roughly one year ago, with its partnership with Oculus VR starting in June 2015 aimed to launch a bunch of 360-degree imagery that can be viewed using the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift. Now, the company is making its VR game strong with the newly-created Getty Images Virtual Reality Group, Getty Images’ official VR arm.
In a press statement from Dawn Airey, Getty Images’ CEO, he said that while VR is still in its infancy right now, they are banking on VR’s ability to become a leading tool for visual storytelling. With things in tech going so quick and costs go low, VR is expected to live the promise of a cost-effective way to tell stories and for people to share content. Many companies have embarked on VR with success, including Samsung with its Gear VR headset, and Google with the Cardboard VR goggles.
To boot with VR, Getty Images VR Group will offer 12,000 stock VR photos in 360-degree fashion. In addition, the VR group will also be taking the coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The company will be supplying their photography teams to the Olympics with 360-degree capture equipment for photos and videos, and these content will be made available for viewing on a variety of VR hardware such as the Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.
For more information on Getty Images VR group, please visit the following websites:
http://wherewestand.gettyimages.com/virtualrealitygroup/
http://press.gettyimages.com/getty-images-launches-360-view-by-getty-images-for-the-oculus-platform-2/
https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/08/getty-images-launches-vr-group/
