Hulu brought its app to Oculus and Gear VR early in the devices’ lives, adding to an already well-formed ecosystem. While the app lets you watch movies and TV shows in a virtual theater, Hulu has been also expanding into VR content. In April of this year, AOL and its parent company Verizon acquired RYOT to bring 360-degree storytelling to the Huffington Post publication. Huffington Post and RYOT are now bringing two new comedy shows to HuluVR.
Virtually Mike and Nora will be a comedy series while The Big Picture: News in Virtual Reality will cover breaking world news. This combination of shows taps right into the Huffington Post’s philosophy and editorial voice on two fronts: entertainment and cause driven journalism. Mike and Nora will start with 5 episodes while News in Virtual Reality is slated for 10 parts. Huffpost RYOT Co-Founder Bryn Mooser spoke excitedly about two firsts for the Hulu platform:
“Virtual reality has an extraordinary power to bring you inside the story and, given their passion for innovation and storytelling, Hulu is the perfect partner to bring these stories to life,” he said in a prepared statement.
Hulu’s VP of Emerging Technology Noah Heller also weighed in on the new development, saying “this partnership with HuffPost RYOT helps us continue to grow our premium VR offerings and bring our viewers the first news and comedy experiences in virtual reality.”
The Nora and Mike in Mike and Nora, Nora Kirkpatrick and Mike O’Brien, both bring a comedy pedigree from shows such as The Office and SNL respectively. News in Virtual Reality will be hosted by Bryn Mooser.
