Disney’s ESPN will soon be in 3D

Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and Discovery Communications Inc. plan to start 3-D television networks, following the success of 3-D films such as “Avatar.”

ESPN 3-D will start in June and broadcast 85 live events in the first year, the Bristol, Connecticut-based sports network said today in a statement. Discovery, Sony Corp. and Imax Corp. announced a joint venture today to introduce a 3-D channel in 2011.

Television programmers and TV-set makers are increasing 3-D offerings after U.S. box-office sales set a record last year, boosted by films including “Avatar.” Sony and Samsung Electronics Co. have agreed to license technology from RealD, a Beverly Hills, California-based maker of 3-D equipment for cinemas, for new home-entertainment systems.

“This gestating technology at least stands a fighting chance of mainstream acceptance,” Tuna Amobi, an analyst with Standard & Poor’s in New York, said in an e-mail. “A particularly momentous 2009 for 3-D movies has created further consumer awareness of the technology.”

Discovery’s joint venture, which doesn’t have a name yet, will air 3-D shows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the U.S., according to the statement. Discovery, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, Sony and Imax will own equal stakes in the channel, the companies said. Financial Terms weren’t disclosed.

Discovery, operator of the TLC and Animal Planet networks, will distribute the new channel, which will show movies and programs about natural history, space and science.

Source

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