The BBC has announced which events from the London 2012 Olympic Games will be broadcast in the 3D format.
The opening and closing ceremonies as well as the Men’s 100m Final will be broadcast live as part of the corporation’s on going 3D trials. There will also be a daily highlights package. The 3D coverage will be broadcast via the BBC HD channel, allowing full HD coverage to continue on BBC One.
As with previous experiments around Wimbledon and Strictly Come Dancing, the transmissions will be free to air across cable, satellite and terrestrial transmitters.
Kim Shillinglaw, Head of BBC 3D, says: “We have always said we believe some of 2012 should be captured in 3D, and we’re delighted to confirm our offer to audiences in the UK, providing them with a new way of getting close to some of the key moments from the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
Shillinglaw’s predecessor, Danielle Nagler, had expressed concern that 3D coverage might take up bandwidth from regular transmissions, while offering 3D to a minority of compatible receivers.
In a blog post Roger Mosey, the BBC’s director of London 2012, emphasised the caution, saying that 3D had grown more slowly than had been anticipated when the first announcements were made in 2009. The opening and closing ceremonies had been selected because there was no competing sporting event that might otherwise demand coverage. It was not yet clear exactly how much of the ceremonies would be captured in native 3D.
The BBC will be offering extensive coverage of the London Olympic with up to 24 live video streams available on the BBC Sport website, as well as BBC One, BBC Three, BBC Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Mobile.
