ESPN 3D to Go 24 Hours Starting in February


A year after ESPN announced the launch of an event-based only 3D network, the sports network announced at CES in Las Vegas this week that ESPN 3D will now air content 24-hours a day starting Feb. 14, airing replays of previously televised ESPN 3D events when the network is not showing a live event. In January, the network will air four NBA games and the BCS national championship game, as well as four days of the Winter X Games--all in 3D.

"As we continue to expand the number of 3D events on the channel, it made sense operationally to transition ESPN 3D to a 24-7 network," said Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing for Disney and ESPN Media Networks. "We've been very pleased with the rate at which our affiliates have adopted ESPN 3D in its first year and we continue to look for new ways to serve fans, advertisers and affiliates with the best 3D sports content available."

On Fri., Jan 7, ESPN 3D will host a special edition of “College Football Live” on the Sony Stage at the International Consumer Electronics Show with Rece Davis, former coach Lou Holtz and analyst Mark May. The trio will preview the upcoming BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz. and discuss how ESPN 3D is changing sports viewing. The BCS National Championship game will be available on ESPN 3D.

Since launching the network on June 11 with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the network has aired nearly 60 events. ESPN 3D is available in the United States to approximately 62.5 million households and has carriage agreements with AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, DIRECTV and Time Warner Cable. It will also launch this year onVerizon FiOS TV.