Sony to co-launch 3D TV channel?

Sony may partner with two leading video entertainment giants to launch a dedicated 3D TV channel, it has emerged, just hours after sports broadcaster ESPN confirmed plans for its own 3D telly service.

The Walt Disney Company that owns ESPN announced earlier today that a 3D version of the channel will go live in June this year. It isn't yet known if the channel will appear in Blighty.

A minimum of 85 live events will be broadcast in 3D during the channel’s first year, with a World Cup football match between Mexico and South Africa set to be the first 3D event.

Sony, Imax and Discovery Communications – the company behind The Discovery Channel – may steal ESPN 3D’s thunder though, becuase two industry insiders have since told the New York Times that the trio will announce plans for their own 3D channel later this week.

The trio’s 3D channel isn’t expected to launch until next year, one insider reportedly added, giving ESPN a head start.

Another crucial difference between ESPN’s confirmed 3D channel and the Sony, et al, rumoured 3D channel is that ESPN will only broadcast targeted live events in 3D. The trio’s 3D channel may run 24/7 and carry a wider range of content, the NYT’s report added.

Both Sony and Imax have an established 3D entertainment track record. The Discovery Channel has also experimented with 3D content, having previously broadcast shows about sharks in 3D.

Sony is keen to kick start an in-home 3D TV revolution. The firm’s Executive Deputy President - Hiroshi Yoshioka – said back in November that 50 per cent of all new Sony TVs will be 3D capable by 2013. ®