IntroductionIntroduction

The Dutch digital culture field has a long tradition of content-rich and technically innovative productions, which is reflected in wide international interest and appreciation. Dutch productions regularly win awards at major and leading festivals such as Tribeca Festival, Venice Immersive and SXSW. Dutch producers and creators are also regularly involved in international co-productions.

At the same time, professionals within the digital culture field run into persistent challenges, with the distribution and presentation of immersive projects in particular being a structural bottleneck. A major cause of this seems to be the difficulty in developing revenue models or sourcing funding. As a result, many immersive works have only limited reach after a festival premiere and barely circulate sustainably within and outside the cultural field.

To find answers to these challenges, a study consisting of two parts was launched, both coordinated by the Moonshot Digital Culture and funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The first part of this research, the report Pilot Vouchers Cultural Immersive Productions, was published in May 2024. It evaluated the Creative Industries Fund NL's pilot distribution scheme. In the process, the report provided input for the then newly established Immerse/Interact presentation grant.

This second part of the study not only focuses on the Dutch field, but also looks at international developments in the field of distribution and presentation. Additionally, by including research into distribution models from other arts and culture domains - such as film, theatre, games and visual arts - this report aims to provide a new perspective on possible strategies to extend the lifespan of immersive projects. Using this interdisciplinary approach, we explore innovative strategies for distribution and make recommendations for practical and applicable approaches.

The report aims to contribute to solving the persistent bottlenecks surrounding the distribution of immersive projects and thereby support the sector. To this end, we provide tools at all levels of the chain: research, concept development, development, production and distribution. The report aims to contribute to the sustainability of immersive productions - both in terms of reach and retention.

Research Question
The research question that forms the point of departure for the study is: How can the distribution of immersive experiences (IX) become more sustainable in terms of wider distribution and better preservation?

In the report, we answer this question by zooming in on the following sub-questions:

• What strategies can creators and producers deploy across the chain to remove obstacles in the distribution of immersive projects?

• What practices and structures from other cultural domains (such as film, theatre, games and visual arts) can be used as inspiration for distribution of immersive experiences?

• What physical or digital infrastructures - such as platforms, networks or hubs - can play a role in making distribution sustainable?

Method
For the report interviews (see Appendix 1) were conducted with 19 leading professionals involved in IX from home and abroad. In addition, desk research was used to explore the further cultural fields (see Appendix 2). The desk research examined reports of expert meetings at various festivals as well as reports and publications of organisations and research institutes from the Netherlands and surrounding countries (mainly France, Great Britain, Belgium). During the research, the desk research was expanded to sources that provided more insight into issues that emerged during the interviews, such as existing distribution models and strategies from other sectors.

Definition immersive experiences
This research focuses on the immersive experiences (IX) sector: cultural media productions such as virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), augmented reality (AR), 360° film and interactive installations. In practice, the term XR is often used as an umbrella term for VR, MR and AR technologies and experiences; we use that term in this report as well.

IX- projects by definition move at the intersection of different cultural domains such as film, visual arts, games, performing arts and technological innovation. As such, they transcend traditional sectoral boundaries and thus also reflect a broader societal development: technology has become deeply intertwined with a society that is becoming increasingly digitally organised. The Moonshot Coalition describes digital culture as "a field composed of many multidisciplinary practices that overlap with other sectors. This is its strength, but also its Achilles heel." This report analyses this strength and explores the bottlenecks in the whole process of distribution and presentation.

Definition distribution
Distribution of IX is about the process of making works accessible, as well as circulating and presenting them to the public. This happens through both physical and digital channels, aiming for visibility, impact and repeatability. In the context of this research, we see distribution as an important part of the chain as well as a systematic strategy for sustainable impact, reach and viability of a project. We look at aspects such as audience development, versions and formats, screening locations, scalability, and both economic and creative strategies.