ESPN has announced that the popular sports network will be launching ESPN 3D in June, in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The company says it is the first “all 3D” TV channel.
ESPN 3D will show off 85 live sporting events in its first 12 months, but there will be no older programming. That being said, when those 85 events are not running, the station will just remain dark, with nothing playing. The events will include the Summer X Games, NBA basketball matches, and NCAA football/basketball matches.
ESPN has committed to the station for the first year only, through June 2011.
“We’re going to assess the viability of this as we did with all our businesses,” adds Sean Bratches, an ESPN executive vice president for sales and marketing.
To recieve the channel you will obviously need a new 3D-capable TV, like the ones set for release later this week at the CES event.
It is unclear whether you will have to pay a premium for the channel, and whether or not your cable company will need to provide new set-top boxes or just firmware updates.
“We don’t have all the answers,” says Chuck Pagano, ESPN’s executive vice president for technology, via USAToday. “We asked the same questions back in the HD days. Is this going to be better? Is this going to be worse?”
Result for: sales and marketing
Nintendo America has announced two new limited edition DSi holiday bundles, each of which will include five games pre-loaded.
The “Brain Teaser” bundles will include a white colorway handheld and Brain Age Express Arts & Letters, Sudoku and Math, Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics and Photo Clock.
The “Mario” bundle will include a Metallic Blue handheld and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, Dr Mario Express, WarioWare: Snapped, Mario Calculator and Mario Clock.
Each bundle will retail for $169.99, the same as the console by itself, while including $20-25 worth of bonuses.
“These limited edition bundles come packed with some of the great Nintendo DSiWare games and applications that have made Nintendo DSi such a big hit with shoppers young and old,” added Cammie Dunaway, NoA executive VP of sales and marketing. “The special price and pre-installed titles make the bundles a huge value for the holidays.”
Result for: sales and marketing
Spring Design, which recently released its Android-based Alex e-reader, has sued Barnes & Noble over the Nook e-reader, claiming B&N “misappropriated trade secrets” and “violated a non-disclosure agreement surrounding Alex technologies.”
The company says it started filing patents for Alex in 2006 and was holding conference calls and meetings with B&N execs beginning in 2009. Alex’s feature set was discussed confidentially with those execs under a non-disclosure agreement
Says Eric Kmeic, Sprin Design VP of Sales and Marketing: “Spring Design unfortunately had to take the appropriate action to protect its intellectual property rights. We showed the Alex e-book design to Barnes & Noble in good faith with the intention of working together to provide a superior dual screen e-book to the market.”
There is no word on what damages Spring is hoping for or expecting. B&N denied comment.
