Olympic Channel Launches VR Series

Ahead of next month’s Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, the Olympic Channel has debuted Trending Gold, a series produced in VR/360-degree format that offers an immersive view into the lives of Olympic athletes.

The seven-episode, multi-part series debuts today on the Olympic Channel’s digital platform, including its web site (olympicchannel.com) and its mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. The series can be streamed and viewed with our without compatible VR viewers/headsets.

The series, which features behind-the-scenes episodes and other short-form fare in the 360-degree format, was produced exclusively for the Olympic Channel by Jaunt, which will also offer Trending Gold in its own app.

The series features nine athletes and Olympic hopefuls, representing six countries spanning four sports – snowboard big air, alpine skiing, short track speedskating and bobsleigh.

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Episode one introduces viewers to Nigeria’s first-ever women’s bobsleigh team.

Trending Gold is an innovative new series that uses technologies such as virtual reality and 360-dergee video to bring viewers inside the personal worlds of several winter athletes creating an immersive and engaging experience for our fans,” Mark Parkman, GM of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel, said in a statement. “Finding new ways to connect the stories behind our sports with our audiences through new series like Trending Gold is a key strategy as we continue to evolve the Olympic Channel global platform.”