Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 6, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Consumer-electronics group Sony plans to launch the first US television channel broadcasting exclusively 3D content together with Imax and Discovery Communications. The companies have formed a joint venture in which they hold equal shares, the Wall Street Journal reports. Content from both the three-company group and other providers is to be broadcast. Expansion into international markets is possible, the newspaper reports.
Discovery will handle the network, distribution and technical support, as well as provide 3D television rights for its content. The company will also ensure cross-promotion across its 13 US television channels. Sony will support advertising and sponsorship sales and handle television licensing for 3D cinema films, as well as game- and music-related 3D content. Imax, in turn, will contribute television rights for future 3D films, along with proprietary, patented technology for 3D and image enhancement.
Alongside Sony, Discovery and Imax, Walt Disney is also showing ambitions to lay the foundations for 3D television. According to information from the Wall Street Journal, the group, which owns sports channel ESPN, plans to launch a 3D channel later this year. It is expected to show, among other things, matches from the football World Cup in South Africa and US sports such as college football.
