CBS debuts ‘whip around’ streaming news program with virtual format

CBS News is making a significant push into the streaming landscape with the launch of “CBS News 24/7,” a new daily program that aims to change how news is delivered and consumed in the digital age.

Debuting on June 26, the show departs from traditional news formats, embracing a dynamic, real-time approach designed to capture a younger, more digitally savvy audience.

The program, which streams at 10 a.m. eastern from New York with Vladimir Duthiers and at 1 p.m. eastern from San Francisco with Reed Cowan, adopts a fast-paced, “whip around” style reminiscent of sports coverage.

“Three years ago, we set out to transform CBS News and Stations into the leading local-to-global news organization. By combining the talent and resources of our network and local stations, we saw an opportunity to create a real force multiplier. The result of that vision is what enables us to launch our flagship streaming show ‘CBS News 24/7’ today on our national stream,” wrote Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News, Stations and CBS Media Ventures, on LinkedIn.

“‘CBS News 24/7’ is inherently collaborative and a testament to the power of our unified capabilities. It showcases the depth and breadth of our combined organization—every reporter and storyteller, all of our bureaus and assignment desks, our community journalists and weather teams. I am grateful to everyone across the organization who came together to make this happen and energized to see “CBS News 24/7″ come to life.”

“We know that breaking news is one of the main reasons viewers stream news, and we are excited to bring in a new wave of news viewers with CBS News 24/7,” said Sahand Sepehrnia, executive vice president of digital content strategy and business for CBS News, Stations, Entertainment and Sports.

The show, airing on the CBS News streaming network also named CBS News 24/7, does not have a traditional format or rundown-based approach, providing flexibility to adapt to breaking news and current events.

A key feature of “CBS News 24/7” is its use of augmented and virtual reality technology, which CBS News has been testing at KPIX and KYW.

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At CBS News Bay Area, the virtual technology is used mainly for “Primetime Edition” on KBCW and weather coverage. At the time, it was described as an “experiment that could influence future news presentation methods across the CBS station group.”

“CBS News Bay Area’s innovation with AR/VR technology in weather storytelling has laid the foundation for CBS News 24/7,” said Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations. “We are now launching across our Network and streaming platforms to provide a fully immersive news experience and showcase CBS’ world-class reporting in a differentiated, dynamic and immersive way.”

This technology, powered by Zero Density and Unreal Engine, provides a large virtual canvas for the news of the day with augmented layers including maps and weather effects.

The launch of “CBS News 24/7” comes as news organizations grapple with changing viewer habits and the rise of on-demand content, along with shifting economic models in news production.