WORLD'S FIRST ADULT 3D TV BROADCAST

                                                


Last year UK broadcaster Sky announced it would launch Europe’s first 3D TV channel. It has now revealed that Saturday April 3rd will be the kick off date, with the broadcast of a Premier League clash between Manchester United and Chelsea. Football fans will be able to don 3D glasses in over a thousand pubs and clubs across the UK and Ireland that have already signed up for the 3D service as will residential subscribers with the necessary 3D capable equipment.

Following the April 3 launch Sky will show at least a further five yet to be announced Premier League games before the end of the current season on May 9. It will also show the Cocoa-Cola Football League Play-Off Finals from Wembley Stadium at the end of May, all live and in 3D.

Outside of the live games Sky 3D will screen a showreel showcasing 3D content covering a range of different programming during selected hours of the day.

“It’s fitting that one of the biggest games of the season will be the launch pad for our pioneering Sky 3D service. With 3D, seeing really is believing, so it’s great news that over a thousand pubs across country will be able to show the magic of 3D to their customers,” said Brian Lenz, Sky’s Director of Product Design and TV Product Development.

Sky 3D is compatible with both active and passive 3D formats and later in the year the channel will offer a range of movies, sport, documentaries, entertainment and arts content. The channel will initially be introduced at no extra cost to subscribers on Sky’s top channels and HD pack.

Early expectations of 3D TV were over-hyped by the press, while current coverage laments the fact that 3D has not lived up to its promise.  The reality is somewhere between the two extremes.  3D channels have been launched in North America, Europe, and Asia in 2010.  More will come in 2011.  In addition to linear TV channels, 3D content is being made widely available on pay-TV providers VOD systems.  Those who are experimenting with 3D VOD now are expected to make linear 3D channels available as well.  The result is an anticipated increase in the number of 3D TV channels to over 100 by 2015, says In-Stat (www.in-stat.com).

“Pay-TV providers around the globe who have HD systems in place have jumped on the 3D content being made available to them at a faster rate than many had expected,” says Michelle Abraham, Principal Analyst.  “Many took advantage of the World Cup 3D coverage to test transmission of 3D over their networks, and some of them have now launched transmission of regular 3D TV channels.  The competitive nature of pay-TV ensures that once one pay-TV distributor in a country is offering 3D, the others need to be fast followers unless they want to lose their top-tier customers.”

The research, 3D TV Services: It’s a Small World (#IN1104953MBS) discusses the state of 3D content production and distribution today and expectations for the future.  A five-year forecast for linear 3D TV channels by region is provided.

London, June 18, 2010: Babestation Xtreme today announced the worldwide premiere of adult 3D TV with the upcoming premiere broadcast of 3D Sex Fantasies on Freeview Channel 96 on Sunday, June 20th, at midnight.

Babestation's director of programming, Bob James, says that Babestation's live and pre-recorded adult 3D broadcasts will set a new standard for eroticism in the UK adult television market.

"For our viewers who enjoy the lean-back experience of TV as well as those who want to interact with our bevy of babes, nothing can surpass the magic of 3D in its ability to bring our talent into the home. While our initial broadcasts will be in high quality anaglyph 3D, we will be fully compatible with active 3D technologies in the future," he said.

"The combination of adult content and 3D will drive consumer adoption of 3D technologies in perhaps an even more dramatic fashion than adult content did with Internet adoption. While the Internet offered a more discrete and diverse platform for existing forms of content, 3D actually enhances the consumer's relationship with the content making for a more personal experience."
                                             
The Sport will distribute over 150,000 free pairs of glasses as part of the Sunday Sport's June 20th issue. The film is also compatible with millions of pairs of glasses distributed by The Sun in recent weeks.

The 3D market is expected to be worth tens of billions in the next couple of years. LG Electronics recently announced it plans to sell 400,000 3D TVs in 2010 and 3.4 million in 2011 and Sony is targeting revenue from 3D related products of more than US $11.3 billion in 2013. A recent report entitled 3DTV Market Analysis: Transition from Cinema to Living Room suggests that in just four years there will be 46 million 3D TVs in existence.

Posted in: broadcast and world's first adult 3d television