The decline of Immersive Journalism in Spain since 2018

Introduction. This paper presents an analysis of immersive journalism in the business and professional sphere, following the finding that the production of news videos in 360 degrees format has declined as of 2018. Objectives. We will focus on analyzing the causes of the cessation of 360 degrees video production in Spain as of 2018, as well as knowing the situation of immersive journalism as reflected in the latest academic research papers published in the scientific scheme. Methodology. A series of semi-structured interviews conducted with professionals who carried out the first immersive experiences in Spain are analyzed, as well as the results of the latest articles published in the area of communication knowledge. Results. Academic research in recent years shows an optimistic situation for immersive technologies applied to communication; however, the interest of the media does not seem to accompany this vision. Conclusions. The scarce support of the media, the absence of technology to achieve a real immersion of users, the scarce visual culture of these types of products in the public, and, as a consequence, the low impact on the audience are the keys to this decline in the production of immersive journalism pieces, compared to the progressive increase in other areas such as video games or audiovisual productions for entertainment, in multimedia format and for broadcasting or dissemination.