A LOCAL INNOVATION GOES NATIONAL: CBS TELEVISION STATIONS COMPLETES AR/VR STUDIO ROLLOUT ACROSS 15 MARKETS

More Than 20,000 Square Feet of Immersive News Technology, Developed at CBS Bay Area and Scaled Nationwide, Now Powers Storytelling in Every CBS-Owned Market

CBS Television Stations AR/VR News Studios GIF

Assets: AR/VR News Studios GIF | Three-Year Rollout Infographic | Studio Images and Videos

Credit Assets: CBS Television Stations

SKIM (Story, Key Facts, Impact, More Below)

Story - CBS Television Stations has completed augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) news studios at all 15 of its owned-and-operated television stations, making it the only U.S. television station group to do so.

Key Facts - The three-year rollout of AR/VR technology-driven studios was built on a proprietary blueprint created by the CBS Bay Area innovation team at KPIX in 2023 and now totals more than 20,000 square feet of AR/VR studio space, including two studios at CBS Bay Area, supporting news, weather and sports coverage.

Impact - The technology-driven investment gives CBS journalists and meteorologists new tools to explain complex stories through immersive visual storytelling, while demonstrating how locally developed innovation can be scaled across the company to serve their audiences.

More Below - The full press release is below. It includes the three-year rollout timeline, executive leadership quotes, details on how the studios are used and answers to common questions about the technology.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 2, 2026) - CBS Television Stations has completed the rollout of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) news studios across all 15 of its owned-and-operated television stations, concluding a three-year effort that transformed a local innovation developed at CBS Bay Area into a nationwide storytelling platform for news, weather and sports.

The rollout makes CBS Stations the only U.S. television station group with AR/VR news studios operating across its entire owned-station footprint. Together, the facilities represent more than 20,000 square feet of immersive news production space and support coverage ranging from severe weather and breaking news to election analysis and sports.

The studios allow journalists and meteorologists to report from inside three-dimensional environments, visualize data and potential local impacts and help audiences understand complex stories in news, weather and sports.

Developed by the innovation and engineering teams at KPIX CBS Bay Area and scaled across the station group with support from station leadership, newsroom teams, meteorologists and technical specialists nationwide, the initiative reflects a companywide investment in giving local journalists new tools to explain complex stories and engage audiences in new ways.

"What makes this achievement special is that it began with an idea inside one local newsroom and grew into a capability serving audiences across the country," said Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Television Stations. "Our engineers, innovators and station teams proved what was possible at KPIX, and leaders across our markets embraced the opportunity to build something new together. This rollout reflects the creativity, commitment and collaboration of journalists, meteorologists, producers, technicians, newsroom and station leaders across CBS Stations."

The company evaluated whether to build the technology internally or license it from third-party providers before electing to develop and scale a proprietary platform across all 15 markets:

2023 - CBS Bay Area's KPIX launches the first CBS Stations AR/VR news studio in September.

2024 - The blueprint expands to New York, Philadelphia, Denver and Chicago.

2025 - Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta launch, bringing the total to nine stations.

2026 - Baltimore, Detroit, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Boston launch, and the rollout concluded at CBS Minnesota, bringing the total to 15.

The technology extends beyond local stations. Mitchell and her team oversaw the June 2024 debut of the CBS News 24/7 flagship show, the first-of-its-kind show on television or streaming to combine AR/VR technology with reporting from CBS News and Stations, giving viewers an immersive and informative experience. The show is the backbone of the CBS News 24/7 national stream.

The investment is also driving revenue. In 2026, AR/VR sponsored revenue increased +133% year over year, driven by the expansion to additional stations and growth in sponsored segments. The studios give advertisers a differentiated product, with premium, locally relevant experiences that create revenue opportunities beyond traditional spot advertising.

The technology launched as a weather tool and has evolved to various news coverage, including breaking news, election coverage and sports. Five CBS-owned stations now present all of its newscasts inside AR/VR studios: CBS Bay Area, CBS Sacramento, CBS Miami, CBS Baltimore and CBS Atlanta. CBS Atlanta built its local news operation around the technology in 2025, when the station group launched an owned station that year, debuting as a fully immersive AR/VR studio, the first of its kind in the Atlanta market.

"We invested in this technology because we believe local journalism matters and because we believe audiences deserve stories that are visual, understandable and engaging," Mitchell said. "Our teams have created a platform that is helping us tell those stories in ways no other station group can."

Technology does not replace traditional reporting. It gives CBS journalists another tool to make complex information more accessible, visual and understandable.

Completing the rollout is not the end of the initiative. With a proprietary blueprint, a nationwide platform and three years of operational experience, CBS Stations is positioned to keep developing immersive storytelling applications for audiences in all 15 markets.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question: What is this AR/VR news studio technology?

Answer: Augmented reality and virtual reality technology-driven studios where journalists and meteorologists can deliver the news inside digitally created environments, graphics, three dimensional and visualizations that appear to exist within the studio.

Question: What is the primary benefit for viewers?

Answer: AR/VR helps viewers better understand stories by making information more visual, immersive and accessible. The technology enhances storytelling while providing greater clarity, context and engagement.

Question: Why is CBS Stations investing in AR/VR technology?

Answer: The initiative reflects CBS Stations' ongoing investment in local journalism, innovation and audience engagement. The technology helps journalists provide greater context, improve understanding and enhance storytelling across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms.

Question: Why does AR/VR matter? I just want to watch my regular news.

Answer: AR/VR is a storytelling tool that supports journalism. It allows meteorologists, anchors and reporters to visually explain weather events, news stories and community issues in ways that help viewers better understand complex information. The reporting remains the same; the technology simply provides additional context and visual explanation.

Question: Where did the technology originate, and is it proprietary?

Answer: The technology originated at CBS Bay Area's KPIX in 2023, where the station's innovation team created a proprietary framework and production workflow that CBS Stations scaled to its other owned-and-operated stations.

Question: Which CBS Stations have AR/VR news studios?

Answer: All 15 owned-and-operated stations, listed by market size: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Miami, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

About CBS Television Stations

CBS Television Stations (CBS Stations), part of Skydance TV, a flagship division of Skydance Corporation (NYSE: SKYD), is a leading multiplatform local media organization that owns and operates 27 television stations in 17 major U.S. markets, including duopolies and independent stations, one of the largest owned-station footprints in local media. The stations reach approximately 37% of U.S. television households. The station group produces more than 41,000 hours of live local news annually across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms.

CBS Stations is the only U.S. television station group with augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) news studios, operating more than 20,000 square feet of studio space in 15 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Miami, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

CBS Stations provides news and information for the CBS Television Network, Paramount+, Pluto TV, digital platforms and CBS News 24/7.

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Media Contact:

Elita Fielder Adjei, SVP, Communications

CBS Television Stations

[email protected]