Japanese Broadcasters Going 3D

Japan’s leading satellite and cable broadcasters have 3D programming in the works, with Sky Perfect expected to have some content on its satellite channels by the summer, according to local media reports. Sky Perfect J SAT Holdings Inc. is to meet with production companies this month to discuss plans for 3D movies and sports contents for its existing channels. Initial plans are for a small number of trial programs, leading to specialist channels in the future.

Jupiter Telecommunications Co. (J:COM), the nation’s biggest cable company, is also understood to have plans to introduce 3D programming.

Japanese manufacturers, Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba, have been showcasing their 3D TV sets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month, and all three will bring them to market in the U.S. and Japan by the autumn.

Sony, which owns 8.4% of Sky Perfect, has pledged to put 3D at the center of its plans for corporate recovery. Sky Perfect has just over 3.7 million subscribers, while J:COM has 3.25 million.

By Gavin J. Blair, The Hollywood Reporter