Posted Wed Jun 12, 2013 at 09:00 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
"Due to low adoption of 3D at home."
Troubling news for fans of 3D and sports as ESPN has announced plans to shut down its ESPN 3D channel by the end of the year. The reasoning behind the decision leaves little to the imagination. ESPN banked heavily on the idea of capturing a new wave of 3D owners, but with "low adoption," the Disney-owned sports giant has made its 3D determination.
From Katina Arnold, ESPN PR, "ESPN 3D was great at home but due to low adoption of 3D to home, we are discontinuing to focus on other products for fans and affiliates."
One of the earliest boons of the recent 3D TV push was ESPN. ESPN 3D was launched with the last World Cup in June of 2010 but will not be around for a second 3D World Cup broadcast. In less than three years the network launched, moved to 24 hour 3D content, and was carried by major carriers such as Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon FIOS, and AT&T. Unfortunately for ESPN 3D, AT&T stopped carrying the channel back in 2011 citing high costs and low demands.
Of course, if demand for 3D content at home increased, say due to better than current 3D display methods, ESPN might hop right back on board. Before that happens though, it is likely that ESPN will pursue delivering Ultra HD broadcasts.
"ESPN 3D production (is) unmatched! As tech leader ESPN will continue to experiment with things like UHDTV.
Source: The Verge
Author: Brian Hoss
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