Bigscreen, the social VR platform that lets you stream your computer’s screen to others, just got a substantial update that brings with it 50+ streaming TV channels, including sports, gaming, movies, anime, news, and more.

All streaming TV is served up for free directly from Bigscreen and shown in its public theater rooms around the clock. Some channels may not be available in all areas, however we’ve confirmed that a majority are at least available in Europe.

The update comes to all supported platforms, including HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung Gear VR.

Public Bigscreen TV rooms support up to eight users, although a channel can technically support “thousands of people,” Bigscreen CEO and founder Darshan Shankar writes in a blog post.

To accomplish this, Shankar says the company created a new VR video browser technology that can load video streaming and livestreaming sites such as YouTube, Twitch, Pluto, and Comet. And while the platform’s peer-to-peer screen sharing has been greatly optimized, direct streaming means there’s no upload bandwidth requirements.

The UI has also been modeled after smart TV interfaces, which favors one-click actions instead of laborious text insertion.

Image courtesy Bigscreen

Here’s a quick list of some of the channels you can jump into today:

  • Movies & TV: Rifftrax, MST3K, Anime, Pokémon, Pluto Movies, Comet, Shout! Factory, and more
  • Gaming & Sports: Red Bull TV, 24/7 Poker, 24/7 Trivia, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Top Twitch (Ninja, Shroud, Sodapoppin, Timthetatman, Lirik, DrDisrespect, DrLupo, Pokimane, Summit1g), and more
  • News & Finance: NBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Sky News, Newsy, Cheddar News, RT America, Weather Nation, Crypto News, and more
  • Random: Monstercat, Lofi Hip Hop Beats Radio, Comedy Central, NASA, SpaceX, 24/7 Cats, and more
SEE ALSO
'Human Fall Flat' is Getting Official VR Support Thanks to This Prolific Modder

In a few weeks, Bigscreen will also be announcing its own Bigscreen TV events, new TV channels, and a new cinema environment. At some point this summer, the platform will also release a friends system, and premium 3D Movie Nights in partnership with major movie studios. Upcoming events include:

  • July 11–14 — Overwatch League Playoffs
  • July 21 — SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch
  • August 25 — The DOTA 2 International Grand Finals
Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • kuhpunkt

    That’s all great, but how do they actually make money? Bigscreen has always been free.

    • asshat

      when the advertisements start to creep in between and during videos im guessing. Or advertisements placed within the personal spaces

      • sfmike

        Unfortunately then it will be time to leave.

        • Justos

          I have noticed ads already exist in their public rooms. plexTV was the one i saw a lot

        • y_m_o

          I heard whatsapp is introducing advertising at some point too. That’ll be the day I stop using it.

    • Erilis

      They are playing the game for the long run. As this excellent interview with VR oasis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33YkjOFnsik asks the same question, their ultimate target is to make money on showing current cinema movies in 3D. Or there is no 3D streaming service, so that’s a huge gap in the market. The rest will be as is, hopefully without the addition of commercials.

  • gothicvillas

    I tried last night but couldn’t figure out where are these channels..

  • John Overholt

    Had some issues with performance on the Go, but the Rift version is great!

  • sfmike

    Love 3D movie night and streaming as local theaters where I live have stopped showing 3D movies.

    • y_m_o

      Yeh, 3D movies seem to be fading on blu-ray release too. I think it’s too costly with little return both in cinema and home purchases. Damn shame.

  • ale bro

    I love steaming TV, a bit disappointed the article is about streaming TV instead

    • Rosalia

      Sta­rt getting residual money weekly… It’s a great part time work for anybody… The best part about it is that you can work from comfort of your house and start making 100-2000 bucks at the end of every week … Start today and get your first paycheck by the end of this week…> plattertruce.laden.biz

    • Byaaface

      I think Valve makes software for that

  • paleion

    I would be happy to pay a cinema like fee to watch the latest cinema releases in either 2D or 3D in BigScreen on my Quest. Avoids all the idiots in screenings these days too.

  • Dan Lokemoen

    Those “50 channels” are, indeed, steaming.