# Virtual Reality Political Debates CNN Will Stream the Democratic Presidential Debate in Full VR By Rahul Kalvapalle | Published 2015-09-25 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/democratic-presidential-debate References: [engadget](http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/25/cnn-democratic-debates-in-vr/) & [cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn](http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/09/24/cnn-will-live-stream-democratic-debate-in-virtual-reality/) American cable news giant CNN has announced that it is going to take the ambitious and intriguing step of live streaming the [Democratic](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-daily-edit-app) presidential debate in full virtual reality on October 14. Following the recent debate between [Republican](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mint-a-vote) candidates for the presidency, CNN took the big step of putting out highlight clips in full virtual reality. These highlight clips were extremely well-received, leading CNN to look into the idea of streaming the Democratic side of the debate in virtual reality. This extravagant initiative will be made possible thanks to a collaboration between CNN and NextVR, and will allow all users of the [Samsung](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/android-xr) GearVR to experience the political debate as if they themselves are sitting in the audience in Las Vegas. Presidential debates are already a huge spectacle, but the addition of a virtual reality angle makes things even more intriguing. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.5/10 - Popularity: 34% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Multimedia](https://www.trendhunter.com/multimedia) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Virtual Reality in Political Events:** The use of virtual reality in political debates or events offers a disruptive opportunity for more immersive and engaging experiences for viewers or participants. - **Live Streaming in Virtual Reality:** The live streaming of events such as political debates in virtual reality could provide a new level of accessibility to people who are unable to attend the event physically. - **Virtual Reality Highlight Clips for News Reportage:** The use of virtual reality to create highlight clips for news reportage of political events provides an innovative and interactive way of engaging viewers with the content being reported. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Media and Entertainment:** The use of virtual reality in live streaming or highlight clips of events such as political debates presents an innovation opportunity for the media and entertainment industry to differentiate their content and attract a wider audience. - **Politics and Government:** The use of virtual reality in political events such as debates presents an opportunity for politicians and governments to engage with voters in a new and immersive way, potentially increasing voter turnout. - **Technology and Manufacturing:** The increase in demand for virtual reality technologies in events such as political debates creates an opportunity for the technology and manufacturing industry to develop new products and services catering to this market. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sports Event Virtual-Reality Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/xtadium.md) - [Refocused Mixed Reality Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/google-glasses.md) - [Metaverse Tech Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dyson-demo-vr.md) - [Personal Computer-Based VR Headsets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/computerbased-vr-headsets.md) - [Virtual Reality Sports Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vr-football.md) - [Compact Featherlight VR Headsets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bigscreen-beyond-headset.md) - [Sports-Focused VR Headsets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jiodive.md) - [Goggle-Shaped VR Headsets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/htc-2.md) - [Mixed Reality Headset Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/play-for-dream.md)