Wimbledon Tennis Finals in 3D This Summer

Mar 07, 2011 2 Comments by Jonathan Tustain

Wimbledon to be Shown in 3D for First Time. For the first time, the finals of the world famous tennis event will be broadcast around the world via a global network of 3D capable digital theatres.

The 3D production is a partnership between the Wimbledon host broadcaster BBC, Sony and The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Sony will produce 3D coverage of the men’s semi-finals, finals and women’s finals in high definition 3D and distributed to 3D cinemas by Sony’s theatrical distribution partners SuperVision Media.

Wimbledon 3D will be offered to 3D broadcasters globally who might be interested in broadcasting the finals live on their 3D channel or broadband platform.

Sony intends to deliver the Wimbledon 3D tennis event to a “wider audience over time” which might mean delivery over broadband networks. Fujio Nishida, President of Sony Europe commented, “We are delighted to be working with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to bring such a high profile sporting event to consumers around the world in 3D. Watching tennis in High Definition 3D is a stunning experience, bringing the speed of the action and the emotions of the occasion to life; it is as close to the atmosphere and excitement of Centre Court as actually being there. With the Live 3D Wimbledon experience available in 3D cinemas across the world, many more people will be able to enjoy one of the world’s most iconic sporting events as though they were actually at Wimbledon.”

Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, said, “Wimbledon is renowned for its heritage and sense of tradition. At the same time we are always looking for ways to improve the presentation of The Championships by successfully blending that tradition with innovation. We are delighted that our 3D partnership with Sony will not only guarantee we are at the cutting edge of live sporting television, but also deliver a compelling new viewing experience for our global audiences, especially amongst our younger supporters.”

The BBC have promised to release more details soon but released the following statement today, "We are delighted to confirm that we are working in partnership with Sony and the AELTC on bringing 3D technology to our Wimbledon coverage for this year's Championships. As the host TV broadcaster for almost 75 years the BBC has a strong tradition for innovation at the Championships, including most recently: Hawkeye in 2003 and HD for the first time in 2006."

The BBC have exclusive television broadcast rights to Wimbledon so Wimbledon wont be screened on the UK’s only 3D channel – Sky 3D although that is not to say that future 3D broadcast partnerships might not happen in the future. As Head of BBC HD & 3D Danielle Nagler recently told 3DFocus.co.uk, the BBC are seeking a range of broadcast partners as part of its 3D strategy. Image of tennis ball courtesy of Filomena Scalise from www.freedigitalphotos.net