If you are really interested in watching a ball move from one side of a tennis court to the other in 3D, Sony has a solution for you, with the company announcing overnight that they will record the Wimbledon Lawn tennis Championships in high definition 3D in an effort to lure Australian sports fans into cinemas to watch the UK event.The move comes after the Nine Network said that it was not prepared to fork out for $4M, for an event that rated poorly, when no Australians were featuring in the finals.
In a statement issued last night the struggling Japanese company said: “Sony will produce the men’s semi-finals, finals and women’s finals in High Definition 3D as the official supplier of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. To bring the excitement of 3D tennis to interested 3D cinema chains worldwide”
Late last year a FOX Sports and a Nine Network partnership emerged as a potential to pick up the next Wimbledon broadcast rights in Australia after the Seven Network said that they were not interested in the tournament, which begins on June 21. The partnership was formed in an effort to share costs.
Sony said that they will work with SuperVision Media, their theatrical distribution partners to deliver the event.
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.”
