Foxtel 3D

Foxtel 3D was a specialist Australian television channel operated by Foxtel and focused on stereoscopic three-dimensional programming. It launched on 1 November 2010, during a period when broadcasters, film studios, sports rights holders and consumer-electronics companies were promoting 3D television as an emerging premium entertainment format. The channel formed part of Foxtel's broader effort to expand the range of high-definition and event-oriented services available to its Australian pay-TV subscribers. The service was primarily associated with sports programming. At launch, its schedule drew substantially on 3D material supplied through ESPN, ESPN 3D and FOX Sports. This gave the channel access to the types of content most suited to the format: live or recorded sporting events, where depth perception and camera positioning could make the viewing experience feel more immersive. Foxtel 3D also carried documentaries and live music events, allowing it to present the channel as more than a sports outlet and to demonstrate 3D television across several genres. A notable programming milestone occurred on 27 January 2011, when the channel broadcast Despicable Me 3D. This was reported as the first 3D movie shown on Australian television and represented an expansion from event-based sports and factual programming into feature-film presentation. The broadcast helped illustrate the channel's intended role as a showcase for a developing home-entertainment technology. Foxtel 3D was nevertheless dependent on a relatively small and irregular supply of suitable content. The economics and appeal of a dedicated 3D channel required continuing access to new productions that were filmed, converted or distributed in the format. By 2013, several developments signaled that the wider television industry was reducing its commitment to 3D. ESPN 3D and the BBC announced that they would stop producing 3D material during that year, limiting the pipeline of programming available to Foxtel. Foxtel also cited weak audience interest when it announced the channel's closure. Foxtel 3D ceased broadcasting on 27 August 2013. Its short operating life reflected the difficulty of sustaining a specialist channel around a technology that required compatible displays and viewing equipment, while also relying on a limited content ecosystem. The channel is therefore best understood as a discontinued Foxtel television service and an early Australian pay-TV experiment in dedicated 3D programming, rather than as a continuing consumer product line.

Foxtel 3D emerged during the early-2010s expansion of consumer interest in three-dimensional television. Foxtel, Australia's major pay-TV operator, created the channel as a dedicated outlet for programming produced or distributed in stereoscopic 3D. The service launched on 1 November 2010 and was designed to complement the premium and event-driven nature of subscription television. Sports formed the core of the channel's initial proposition. Foxtel 3D obtained much of its early material from ESPN, ESPN 3D and FOX Sports, whose live and recorded sports coverage was considered particularly suitable for the format. The channel also presented documentaries and live music events, broadening its schedule and providing additional demonstrations of how 3D could be used outside sports broadcasting. On 27 January 2011, Foxtel 3D showed Despicable Me 3D. The broadcast was identified as the first 3D film shown on Australian television and marked an important programming development for the service. It demonstrated that the channel could extend beyond sports and factual content into feature films, an area that was central to the broader consumer promotion of home 3D entertainment. The service's long-term prospects were constrained by the availability of programming. A dedicated channel required a steady supply of new content filmed or prepared in 3D, but production remained expensive and audience adoption of 3D television equipment was limited. In 2013, ESPN 3D and the BBC announced that they would discontinue 3D production during the year. Those decisions reduced the amount of material available to specialist broadcasters and weakened the rationale for maintaining a separate 3D service. Foxtel subsequently announced that Foxtel 3D would cease broadcasting on 27 August 2013. The company attributed the decision to both a shortage of available 3D content and a lack of viewer interest. The channel closed on that date. Its history reflects the brief period in which broadcasters attempted to build dedicated television services around 3D, as well as the format's difficulty in achieving a sustainable combination of content supply, compatible household equipment and mass-market demand.

• 2013

  Foxtel announces channel closure

  [1]Foxtel 3Den.wikipedia.org

  Foxtel announced that the channel would close because of limited 3D content availability and weak audience interest.

• 2013

  Broadcasting ends

  [1]Foxtel 3Den.wikipedia.org

  Foxtel 3D ceased operations on 27 August 2013.

• 2011

  First Australian television broadcast of a 3D movie

  [1]Foxtel 3Den.wikipedia.org

  On 27 January 2011, Foxtel 3D aired Despicable Me 3D, described as the first 3D movie broadcast on Australian television.

• 2010

  Foxtel 3D launches

  [1]Foxtel 3Den.wikipedia.org

  Foxtel 3D began broadcasting in Australia on 1 November 2010 as a dedicated channel for stereoscopic 3D programming.

A premium, specialist pay-television showcase for immersive 3D sports, films, documentaries and live events.

• Pay television channel · 2010

  Foxtel 3D television channel

  The channel was Foxtel's dedicated outlet for stereoscopic 3D television programming. Its schedule concentrated on sports from ESPN, ESPN 3D and FOX Sports, with additional documentaries, live music and at least one feature-film presentation. It operated in Australia from 1 November 2010 until 27 August 2013.

• 2013

  Decision to discontinue Foxtel 3DStrategy

  Background

  The channel faced a shrinking supply of 3D programming after announcements that ESPN 3D and the BBC would end 3D production in 2013. Foxtel also reported limited viewer interest.

  Action taken

  Foxtel announced that Foxtel 3D would stop broadcasting on 27 August 2013.

  Aftermath

  The specialist channel ceased operations on the announced date, ending Foxtel's dedicated 3D television service.

  Source

1. 1Foxtel 3Den.wikipedia.org
2. 2Foxtelfoxtel.com.au