Report: YouTube plans live, 360-degree video support

YouTube is reportedly planning to add support for 360-degree live-streamed video, in its latest push into the Virtual Reality space.

According to a Buzzfeed report, which cites multiple sources familiar with the plans, YouTube has been meeting with 360-degree camera manufacturers about adding live-streaming support and is developing this capability.

Earlier this week Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that “it’s still incredibly early innings for virtual reality as a platform” and that Google Cardboard – its low-cost VR headset – was “just the first step”.

Last month, Google was reported to have set up a dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) division and had appointed company executive Clay Bavor to run the unit.

In November, YouTube also added virtual reality (VR) video support to the service’s Android app, allowing viewers to experience immersive, 360-degree content.

At the time, YouTube said that the new VR features “enable you to see and be seen in a whole new way”, with Android users able to watch VR content using their phone and a Google Cardboard headset or device holder.

YouTube first added 360-degree video support to Google Cardboard in May 2015. Two months earlier, the company announced that it had started to support 360-degree video uploads, allowing viewers to control the angle and point-of-view of supported video clips.