Sky 3D to Launch in April with Football Match

LONDON: Sky 3D, Europe’s first 3D TV channel, is to launch with the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea on April 3, and thousands of pubs have already signed up for the broadcast.

After the launch, Sky 3D will show at least a further five Premier League games before the end of the current season and the Coca-Cola Football League play-off finals from Wembly Stadium at the end of May. More than 1,000 pubs and clubs across the U.K. and Ireland have already signed up for Sky 3D. Outside of live games, a showreel featuring the best of Sky 3D—which will cover a range of different programming—will run on the channel during selected hours of the day from launch. Later in the year, Sky 3D will offer a range of movies, sport, documentaries, entertainment and arts content. The channel will initially be introduced at no extra cost for customers who subscribe to Sky’s top channels and HD pack.

Brian Lenz, Sky’s director of product design and TV product development, said: “It’s fitting that one of the biggest games of the season will be the launch pad for our pioneering Sky 3D service. With 3D, seeing really is believing, so it’s great news that over a thousand pubs across country will be able to show the magic of 3D to their customers.”