Case Study: Creating A Business Value in Immersive Journalism

The litmus test for all new gadgets and technologies is the market: whether, or not, consumers buy and use them. A meaningful innovation is really created only along market success. This chapter explains the business value aspects of immersive journalism production with a case study of The New York Times and their virtual reality application. It analyzes how journalistic enterprises can create, deliver, and capture value with immersive journalism, and what novel business opportunities the technologies and their interactive nature can enable. The chapter explores what business partners, activities, and resources exist that could be used to leverage immersive technology-related business models in journalism. It discusses what supporting activities journalistic enterprises should undertake to ensure successful immersive productization. The chapter concludes by suggesting business models for immersive journalism such as subscription fees for special content, customized Virtual Reality advertising, and sponsored content/content marketing.