DIRECTV Launches First Virtual Reality App

New Big Knockout Boxing Virtual Reality App Delivers Immersive, 360 Degree Sports Experience to Consumers; Now Available for Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition and Cardboard Viewers

DIRECTV, now part of the AT&T* family, is taking its first jab at Virtual Reality (VR). We’re giving boxing fans a ringside seat with the new Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) VR App.

The new app delivers highlights from the June 27 BKB fight event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. You can experience the blows and knock downs on your VR ready smartphone as if you were actually at the fight.

The BKB VR app is now available for Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition and Cardboard (Android and iOS) headsets. You can also watch immersive BKB fight highlights in Samsung Milk VR, a premium virtual reality service. With the BKB VR app on the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, you can select different fight highlights and close up camera feeds. Download the BKB VR app now from the Oculus™ Store, Google Play, and Apple App Stores.

“We know that VR can be a deeply engaging entertainment medium. It delivers a compelling sense of 'being there’ that’s unmatched by any other technology,” said Jon Molod, vice president of Digital Entertainment Products Group, DIRECTV, part of the AT&T family. “We believe that much of VR’s growth will be mobile driven. As the technology evolves we hope to find new ways to use VR to enhance not just BKB, but all sports experiences.”

The BKB VR app was designed as a short form immersive experience focused on presenting a selection of the most exciting fight moments. The app’s immersive content was filmed by a five- camera system designed to capture the event from the perspective of a fan in the audience.