ESPN is set to pull the plug on its US 3D sports channel by the end of this year, the broadcaster has said.
The news comes three years to the month after the Disney-owned sports
operator introduced the ESPN 3D channel. ESPN attributed the closure to
poor viewer figures and said it would instead focus on other products.
In a statement, ESPN said: “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 production tools to produce our current ESPN
family of HD channels.”
The 3D network launched on DirecTV, Comcast, and AT&T U-verse and
also went live on Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Bright House Networks
and Cablevision. Events covered on the network included 3D coverage of
the 2010 World Cup as well as Masters golf and NBA playoff basketball.
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