Panasonic & CBS Sports Back 3D Broadcast of US Open

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FLUSHING: Panasonic has signed up as the official sponsor of the US Open in a three-year agreement with the USTA, and working alongside CBS Sports will spearhead the first-ever 3D broadcasts of the tournament.

CBS Sports will produce 3D versions of all the Arthur Ashe Stadium matches that it broadcasts in HD on Labor Day Weekend and on Finals Weekend, September 10-12. These matches will be made available via DIRECTV’s exclusive dedicated 3D entertainment channel, n|3D Powered by Panasonic. On-site at the US Open, Panasonic will have three 3D viewing galleries. Panasonic and DIRECTV will also provide the US Open semifinal and final matches live in 3D to hundreds of TV retail outlets nationwide as part of the National 3D Demo Days event, organized by the Consumer Electronics Association. Panasonic will also feature advertising geared to the new 3D technology during the CBS Sports broadcasts of the US Open.

"We are very pleased to enter a new era of sports production with a new partner, Panasonic, and our long-time partner, CBS," said Lucy S. Garvin, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. "We continually explore new innovations for the US Open, and new ways to present our tournament to tennis fans. 3D technology is the wave of the future, and once again the US Open will be on the cutting edge."

"Panasonic is proud to support the US Open, on site and in homes throughout the country, by bringing live match action to tennis fans in immersive 3D," said Joseph M. Taylor, the chairman and CEO of Panasonic Corporation of North America. "Panasonic consumer and professional 3D displays will show the Arthur Ashe Stadium matches to spectators on site in Flushing Meadows, viewers nationwide can see them via DIRECTV’s exclusive 3D channel, ‘n|3D powered by Panasonic,’ and our professional 3D camcorder will be used to shoot interviews and other footage in 3D for CBS’s production."

"CBS Sports is looking forward to using this groundbreaking technology during our coverage of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships," added Harold Bryant, the VP of production at CBS Sports. "With the court-level camera positions that will make viewers feel like they are right on the court, and the resonant sounds of the game and the spectators, tennis will be a spectacular sport to see in 3D."