CFC Media Lab Announces First Results of Groundbreaking Pulse on VR: A Living Ecosystem

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Jun 27, 2017, 09:00 ET

Founding partners call for the wider VR community to participate in next wave of research on new website

TORONTO, June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - The Canadian Film Centre's Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) with founding partner OMERS Ventures, in collaboration with Nordicity, presented the initial findings of their groundbreaking study, Pulse on VR: A Living Ecosystem, at the House of VR in Toronto last night. The study commenced a year ago and remains ongoing. It captures the workflows, tools, challenges and opportunities that Virtual Reality (VR) creators and technologists face in an ever-changing landscape. The event coincided with the conclusion of VRTO, and took advantage of the global gathering to call for VR companies to take the study's survey or return and update their results. Pulse on VR: A Living Ecosystem will provide an ongoing snapshot of the evolving VR ecosystem for the next several years. The next round of data will be shared in Fall 2017, with new case studies and situation findings made available at pulseonvr.ca.

"Pulse on VR reached more than 200 companies across Canada employing almost 1400 people working on VR projects," said Ana Serrano, CDO, CFC. "Of these 1400 employees, more than four in 10 are working for companies focused solely on VR products. We know there is a growing industry here and this is just the start. Pulse on VR will help us track the evolution of this industry. It will provide us with the insights to see how the public and private sectors can work together to ensure Canada creates and retains its competitive advantages in this immersive media sector."

"While the VR sector is in the early stages of its development, many Canadian startups, especially in the content and services segment, are building strong global brands," said Prashant Matta, Senior Associate, OMERS Ventures. "Over the next few years, we expect an increasing level of startup activity in applications beyond entertainment."

Launched in June 2016, Pulse on VR: A Living Ecosystem has been surveying the evolving Canadian VR ecosystem. Initially titled Pulse on VR: A Workflow and Ecosystem Study, the study focuses on the VR ecosystem in key areas of Canada with additional insights gathered from California.

Executed by Nordicity, Pulse on VR is informed by analysis of VR companies by means of a survey, desk research and case study interviews that are designed to: understand how VR experiences are being created and distributed (the workflow); track which technologies are most prevalent among companies; and shed light on VR's market potential.

The ongoing, "living" study is calling for both new and return participants to join and update their data, thereby contributing to an accurate, comprehensive snapshot of the evolving field. An accessible survey and data with case studies will be available on the website. For questions about the survey, please contact Kristian Roberts at [email protected].

Results were shared during VRTO at a special invitation-only VIP event at the House of VR, which involved a networking reception and series of curated VR experiences by several of the companies who have already contributed to the study. The public can enjoy these experiences at the Pulse on VR Exhibition, a weeklong show at the House on VR in Toronto from June 27 – July 2, 2017.

As evidenced by the reaction to last night's announcement, the results of this work – a living study and ongoing snapshot of VR as a transformative, changing medium – will benefit companies, funders, investors and content creators working in VR seeking to know where they fit into the ecosystem.

Pulse on VR: A Living Ecosystem is generously supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), On Screen Manitoba (OSM), New Media Manitoba (NMM), Creative BC, Canada Media Fund (CMF-FMC), Telefilm Canada, SODEC and Super Ventures.

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