3D goes from Avatar to World Cup

Move over Avatar, sports broadcasting is about to enter the third dimension with the announcement that ESPN will be broadcasting World Cup 2010 matches in 3D.

ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning on June 11 with the first 2010 World Cup match involving South Africa and Mexico.

Up to 25 World Cup matches will be broadcast on the new channel.

Major electronics makers such as Sony plan to bring 3D TV sets to market soon, duplicating the 3-D trend that hit the movie industry in 2009.

ESPN plans to show the Summer X Games, 2011 BCS National Championship Game, college basketball and football contests in 3D in the first stage of its 3D roll out.

The broadcaster has been testing ESPN 3D for more than two years, even showing a USC-Ohio State college football game in select theaters and to 6,000 fans at the Galen Center on USC's campus.

"ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan's viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing," said ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer.

- © Fairfax NZ News