Flat TV: ESPN to pull plug on 3-D broadcasts by end of year, saying there are too few viewers

ESPN says it will stop broadcasting in 3-D by the end of the year, dealing a major blow to a technology that was launched with great fanfare but has been limping along for years.

The sports network says there were too few viewers to make 3-D broadcasts worth it. It didn’t say exactly how many it had, but the number was “extremely limited and not growing.”

ESPN 3D was one of nine 3-D channels that launched in the years following the late 2009 release of James Cameron’s “Avatar.” But the TV sets required viewers to wear glasses, and many people felt the 3-D effect didn’t add much.

TV makers have turned their focus to increasing the resolution their sets to “Ultra HDTV” and getting broadcasts to take advantage of that.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles