Consumer Reports, part of the non-profit advocacy group Consumer Union, said that AT&T’s decision to drop ESPN 3D from its U-Verse channel lineup was further evidence that the mainstream was not interested in 3D television.
The industry commented on the news Monday, the day after AT&T U-Verse pulled the plug. The cancellation occurred shortly before the channel began showing the final night of the X Games 17.
Consumer Reports points out that AT&T had been charging $10 a month to receive ESPN 3D, while DirecTV and Comcast carry it at no additional charge. But it adds that the high price of 3D television and glasses were the main reasons the technology is not proving popular in the home.
“The price tag for ESPN 3D was too high, especially considering the low demand we’ve seen from customers,” AT&T said in a statement. “For our customers who subscribe to the U-verse 3D Technology Package, it will be automatically removed from their bills and any charges after the channel has been removed will be credited.”
AT&T continues to offer 3D movies as part of its U-Verse on-demand programming. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, just 1.1 million 3D TVs were sold in 2010, a number it predicts will rise by 6 percent to 1.9 million for 2011.
Related Links:
Consumer Reports post- http://tinyurl.com/3plob6r
Mediapost – http://tinyurl.com/4xptc5a
