Watch the Olympics like never before, BBC Sport 360 VR app puts you in the heart of the action

Pocket-lint

By Rik Henderson

Published Aug 4, 2016

Pocket-lint

The BBC will be broadcasting much of the Olympics in an all-new format. As well as conventional TV broadcasts it will be screening many sports in 360-degree video, for users of virtual reality headsets.

A BBC Sport 360 service will start with the opening ceremony for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from midnight Friday 5 August. It will then feature live 360-degree presentations of beach volleyball, boxing, gymnastics, athletics and other sports, all the way through to the closing ceremony on Monday 22 August.

It has released a dedicated BBC Sport 360 app for Android and iOS, which is also available through the Samsung Gear VR store. In addition, the footage will be available through its BBC Taster website online.

"This is a hugely exciting next step in our 360 and virtual reality experiments," said Will Saunders, editorial lead for BBC Taster.

"There’s huge potential for immersive video in sport coverage, as well as many other genres, and we want to explore that potential directly with audiences. That’s why we experiment out in the open, so people can tell us what works, what doesn’t and whether there’s an appetite for more. We can’t wait to hear what people think."

The app will work with Samsung Gear VR and other mobile headsets compatible with Android and iPhone.

This is the full schedule of live 360-degree content to expect throughout the games and the UK screening times: