VR and 360 video certainly existed before the launch of NYT VR, but until now the technological potential of storytelling the medium offers has failed to enter the mainstream. With The Times long tradition of pushing the limits of journalism, bringing VR to the forefront would ensure that the ever-shifting landscape of media continues to innovate and reach new audiences.

The alignment of brands is reflective of this common goal. At once iconic and innovative, GE’s digital approach looks to lead industry into the technological future, while Mini has long established itself as a forward-thinking and urban automaker. Meanwhile, Google remains among the most pioneering and important technology companies of the 21st century.

United by the storytelling pedigree of The Times, these brands found themselves ideally situated to make the bright future of VR a reality for an eager audience of millions.

As Times’ Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Meredith Kopit Levien remarked, it’s not without irony that “it takes the print newspaper—a 164-year old business—to deliver one of the most advanced digital storytelling technologies” to its largest audience ever. And in lovely unity, both the legacy newspaper and Google Cardboard are made of the same material.

Indeed, past innovations set the stage for today’s advances, and the magic of NYT VR lies in the capabilities of modern smartphones, and the app’s ability to harness them. Placed inside Google Cardboard headsets, NYT VR immersed viewers in a 360 world, where the possibilities are endless. “The Displaced” transported them to Syria to experience the child refugee crisis. Mini took them inside the drama of an action-thriller. And GE transported viewers to a world where nature inspires innovation. With new films continually joining the NYT VR app, the adventure has just begun.

As expected, the NYT VR app had a tremendous impact:

-Over 500,000 downloads of the NYT VR app, the fastest app adoption in NYT history.

-NYT VR content viewed more than 1.5 million times.

-An average of 6 minutes in-app engagement time.

Due to the success of the first program, a further 300,000 headsets will be distributed to select digital-only subscribers.

Additional advertisers that have since shared VR films to run on the NYT app include Weinstein Company, Lufthansa and others in progress.

The execution as a whole saw significant mainstream press coverage. The GE partnership landed on AdAge’s Best Branded Content Partnerships of 2015, as well as helping T Brand Studio to be named Ad Week’s Hottest in Native Advertising in 2015.

An unprecedented collaboration among four world-class brands — The New York Times, Google, GE and Mini — provided the largest distribution of virtual reality technology ever. Partnering with Google, we supplied 1.3 million units of its Cardboard VR headsets to Times subscribers for the launch of NYT VR. The fastest-adopted app in Times’ history, the platform hosts content from both our newsroom, such as the critically-acclaimed film “The Displaced,” and our advertising partners, including original VR films from GE and Mini. Including estimates of shared devices, some 5 million people experienced VR via this collaboration, most for the first time.

This ecosystem of content grew out of the shared vision of these brands to realize VR as a mainstream cutting-edge technology. By leveraging the scale of The New York Times’ subscriber base and home delivery network, we were able to provide an unprecedented number of Google Cardboard headsets through a cost-effective distribution network. The engaged and affluent readership of The Times was ideal to embrace this new technology. What’s more, the launch allowed brands and readers alike to share in The Times’ long history of boundary-breaking storytelling, placing VR in a tradition of proven success with new and interactive mediums.

The scale of the partnership was complemented by the novelty of the content, providing readers with a rich variety of sensory discovery. Be it the far-flung locations seen in “The Displaced” and Mini’s films, or the never-before-seen animation of GE, each film represented triumph over myriad challenges.