LOS ANGELES—CBS Television Stations will debut augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) Election Centers Nov. 3 on all 15 of its owned-and-operated television stations.
The Election Centers bring immersive visual storytelling, interactive data analysis and real-time election results of the 2026 midterm general election to viewers, CBS Stations President Jennifer Mitchell said.
The rollout of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) news studios across all stations concludes a three-year effort that transformed a local innovation developed at KPIX San Francisco into a nationwide storytelling platform for news, weather and sports.
Built on the company's proprietary AR/VR technology platform, the virtual election centers enable journalists to explain races, ballot measures, voter trends and results through immersive three-dimensional graphics, interactive maps, virtual environments and dynamic data visualizations.
“Elections can be complex, and our responsibility as journalists is not only to report the results but also to help viewers understand what those results mean for their neighborhood, county and state,” Mitchell said. “Our AR/VR Election Centers combine innovative storytelling with the deep local knowledge of our news teams, helping audiences better understand the races, issues and outcomes that matter most where they live.”
The rollout is believed to make 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 (branded on-air as 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,” Mitchell said.
“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 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 CBS Stations. 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 was launched as a weather tool and has evolved to various roles in news coverage, including breaking news, election coverage and sports. Five CBS-owned stations now present all of their newscasts inside AR/VR studios: CBS Bay Area (KPIX), CBS Sacramento (KOVR-KMAX), CBS Miami (WFOR), CBS Baltimore (WJZ-TV) and CBS Atlanta (WUPA).
“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.”
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 said it is positioned to keep developing immersive storytelling applications for audiences in all 15 markets.
