3D Not Yet Ready to Be Major Player in Sports Arena

While sold on the virtues of the high-definition format, executives on a Promax/ BDA panel here Wednesday afternoon were more guarded in their appraisal of 3-D as a game-changer for sports programming.

Mark Waller, senior vice president sales and marketing for the National Football League said pro football was "a mind-blowing experience in 3D, better than HD." However, Waller, speaking on the panel entitled, "The Top of Their Game: Sports Summit," said the impediment to broader availability fell to the "relative cost" of consistently delivering a high-quality telecast in the format.

Similarly, ESPN executive vice president of sales and marketing Sean Bratches said that while the total sports network has various committees examining 3D, it won't really consider the product to be ready for primetime (or other dayparts) until it's "an in-home experience without glasses."

Brian Diamond, senior vice president sports and special at Spike didn't see 3D becoming a major factor for TV for another five to 10 years.

By Mike Reynolds, Multichannel News