ESPN announces plan to shut US 3D channel

As first reported by Sports Video Group in the US, ESPN is to close its 3D network by the end of the year. Introduced in June 2010, ESPN 3D has struggled to establish a firm foothold, with consumers proving more reluctant than expected to invest in 3D TV sets.

The service’s forthcoming demise undoubtedly calls into question the long-term prospects for 3D broadcast of sports in the US – at the very same time that the movement appears to be losing what momentum it had in Europe too.

In an official statement relayed to SVG US, ESPN remarked: “Due to limited viewer adoption of 3D services to the home, ESPN is discontinuing ESPN 3D. We are committing our 3D resources to other products and services that will better serve fans and affiliates. Nobody knows more about sports in 3D than ESPN, and we will be ready to provide the service to fans if or when 3D does take off. As technology leaders, we continue to experiment with things like Ultra High Definition television (also known as Ultra HD television or UHDTV) production tools to produce our current ESPN family of HD channels.”