Sony Extends Sponsorship of ESPN 3D

SAN DIEGO, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Electronics today announced that it will extend its sponsorship of ESPN's 3D sports network for another year, specifically the 3D productions of the upcoming Summer X Games and regular college football season commencing this fall.  Sony was named the first official sponsor of the network in January 2010.  ESPN 3D launched on June 11, 2010 and transitioned to a 24/7 network on February 14, 2011.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with ESPN and continue to deliver sports in 3D to consumer homes," said Stuart Redsun, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Electronics.  "We've signed on to do the X Games as well as an expanded college football schedule, where ESPN will utilize Sony professional 3D cameras to bring consumers the best in live sports."

Added Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales, "Working with companies like Sony on such leading-edge technologies as 3D gives us the ability to deliver a whole new experience to sports fans.  We're doubling the number of college football games on the network this fall, which was made possible by our strategic relationship with Sony."

With the increasing number of consumers purchasing 3D televisions, ESPN 3D is ready to deliver live sports in 3D to a growing audience.  As of today, ESPN 3D produced more than 115 live sporting events, exceeding original expectations set at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  

Sony's many years of experience creating industry leading HD equipment makes the sponsorship of ESPN 3D an ideal pairing.  Most commercially successful 3D feature films and live sports events are captured with Sony's state of the art cameras and production systems.

About ESPN 3D

ESPN was the first to announce in the United States an exclusive 3D network in January 2010 which was the culmination of more than three years of testing 3D television.  ESPN has produced many 3D domestic telecasts in 2010 and 2011, including the BCS National Championship game, the Masters, X Games, multiple college football and basketball games, the State Farm Home Run Derby and more . ESPN has developed best practices for utilizing the technology in live game applications which have provided the ability to streamline workflow operations, adjust 3D camera positioning, perform transmission tests and gauge fan reaction to a 3D telecast versus a traditional telecast.  In addition, ESPN utilizes cutting-edge technology located at the ESPN Innovation Lab in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World to continue to develop innovative production enhancements.  ESPN 3D is available in the United States to more than 65 million households and has carriage agreements with AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, DIRECTV, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. Sony was named the first official sponsor of the network in January 2010.

About Sony Electronics Inc.

Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, design, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution, and customer service.  Sony has played a key role in the development of Blu-ray Disc™, CD, DVD and Super Audio CD technologies, among many others. The company is noted for a wide range of consumer audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA® 3D LCD HDTV, BRAVIA® LCD high-definition television, Sony Internet TV with Google TV, Cyber-shot® digital camera, Handycam® camcorder and Walkman® personal stereo. Sony is an innovator in the IT arena with its VAIO® personal computers and in high-definition professional broadcast and video equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM® HD and CineAlta™ lines of cameras and camcorders, and the SXRD™ 4K digital projector. Sony also offers a full line of business-to-business products for medical, security, visual imaging and photofinishing applications.

SOURCE Sony Electronics Inc.