Eurosport will broadcast more than 100 hours of 3D action during this summer’s London Olympic Games via the Sky 3D channel.
The pan-European broadcaster will showcase all of its 3D coverage on the UK’s only dedicated 3D TV channel, which is already enjoyed in more than 250,000 Sky homes as well as thousands of pubs nationwide.
For the duration of the Games, Sky will make its 3D channel free-to-view for all Sky+HD customers, ensuring that more than 4 million homes will have the opportunity to experience Eurosport’s extensive 3D coverage.
Viewers will need to have a 3D TV and then connect it to their 3D-ready Sky+HD box to enjoy Eurosport’s unrivalled 3D coverage of the Games.
This will be the first summer Olympic Games to have extensive 3D coverage freely available to a mass audience in the UK, with the BBC also planning to broadcast coverage of selected events in 3D via the BBC HD channel, including the men’s 100 metres final.
Eurosport will provide around 8 hours of live 3D action every day during the Games, alongside 4 additional hours of the day’s main highlights, providing the most comprehensive 3D coverage of the Games on British television.
Events to be covered include showpiece events such as the opening ceremony, closing ceremony and the men’s 100m final, alongside a wide range of other events that will be broadcast in 3D for the first time, such as gymnastics, swimming, basketball and canoeing.
Sky will also make a wide range of 3D Olympic highlights available on Sky Anytime, Sky’s video-on-demand service.
Eurosport is an official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games across Europe, and British Eurosport and Eurosport HD providing daily coverage of the event, including 13 hours of live action, a breakfast news show, daily highlights and overnight replays of the best action.
The 2012 Games will be the 12th consecutive Summer/Winter Olympics broadcast on Eurosport.
Jean Thierry Augustin, Eurosport’s Managing Director of Rights Acquisition, Distribution & Development said: “Eurosport has been innovating to provide fans with the best live sports experience for many years.
“We pride ourselves on giving a truly global view of the Olympic Games, letting supreme sporting performances drive our coverage.
“This opportunity to present the London 2012 Olympics in 3D to Sky customers will give British fans an unforgettable experience of their home Games and the international sporting heroes it will generate.”
Despite having no Olympics rights of its own, Sky has been astute in partnering both with the BBC, for who it will provide 24 dedicated Olympics channels during the Games, and now with Eurosport to provide even more 3D coverage of the world’s greatest sporting showpiece.
John Cassy, Director of Sky 3D, said: “We know from our own extensive experience that sport in 3D is captivating and we expect the Olympics to be no different.
“It’s fitting that the London 2012 Games will be the first 3D Olympics and we’re delighted to partner with Eurosport to ensure Sky customers are able to become immersed in the action like never before.
“Whether you’re enjoying the Games in High Definition or 3D, viewers will never have felt so close to the action.”
