ESPN Bullish on 3D Uptake

Bratches Encouraged by Heft of Affiliate Roster

By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 5/31/2010 12:01:00 AM

New York — For some perspective on 3DTV’s prospects, consider how ESPN HD launched in 2003 and how ESPN 3D will launch on June 11.

ESPN HD launched in March 2003 on some of the smallest cable distributors, the likes of Comporium Communications, Service Electric Cable TV and Utilicom Networks, ESPN executive vice president of sales and marketing Sean Bratches recalled last week.

ESPN 3D will launch on the top cable operator (Comcast) and the top satellite- TV provider (DirecTV) on June 11, with access to more than 40 million homes. That’s much more than the ESPN HD launch, though the 2003 rollout did start with some larger operators, such as Cox Communications.

“We’re very encouraged with the slate of affiliates we have going into the marketplace with ESPN 3D,” Bratches told Multichannel News editor in chief Mark Robichaux in opening the May 25 3DTV 2010 conference, co-sponsored by MCN, Broadcasting & Cable, TWICE and other NewBay Media publications.

Asked if ESPN had any new affiliates to announce, Bratches said, “we’re continuing to move on that front.”

He said that by 2019, ESPN believes penetration of 3D sets in the home will be below HD sets, but above digital video recorders. “I think the home rate will be high,” he said. Being the first mass 3DTV programmer is important to the ESPN brand and to helping advertisers — particularly TV equipment makers like ESPN 3D partner Sony — drive business opportunities, he said. ESPN 3D will only take 3D commercials, he said, but ESPN is pitching 3D-related advertising across its platforms, and that’s where the biggest revenue potential lies. ESPN has already produced its first “This is SportsCenter” spot in 3D, he said, and Sony will have a 3D commercial on the new network when it launches June 11 with FIFA World Cup soccer games.

Bratches emphasized that while ESPN has shown 3D events on an experimental basis in theaters, ESPN 3D will be focused on “the home experience” to suit distributors and advertisers needs. “We don’t want to do anything to circumnavigate the price-value relationship of ESPN to our affiliates.”

Producing live sports events in 3D is still a learning experience for ESPN, he said. The programmer plans to bring in semipro football players to a field in Hartford, Conn., to work on covering different downand- outs, fly patterns and other passing maneuvers. ESPN is working with arenas around the country to find the best camera angles to suit 3D, he said. “We’re really digging our cleats in to make sure that the consumer experience is second to none.”

Bratches said ESPN 3D will likely have a roster of about 100 events the first year, up from the previously promised 85.