Fox Sports on Super Bowl XLV: Why it won't be in 3D

Read More at: Consumer Reports

Given that there are now about a million homes in the U.S. with 3D TVs, it would seem natural for this year’s Super Bowl XLV to be broadcast in 3D as well as HD, especially since the first 3D Super Bowl commercials aired back in 2009.

But to the detriment of the entire 3D industry, that’s not going to happen this year, thanks to Fox Sports’ decision not to produce a 3D broadcast of the event—or to partner with another entity capable of producing and transmitting the game in 3D to 3D TV owners.

When we asked, Fox Sports told us there weren’t enough 3D adopters for it to make business sense. “Unfortunately, given current levels of adoption, there is no business model that makes sense for producing a show as complex as the Super Bowl in 3D at this time. 3D requires an entirely separate production at significant expense without generating incremental revenue to offset the additional costs. We prefer to keep our focus all our energy on doing the best possible HD production possible, which this year features more than 40 cameras.”

Even more surprising, it appears there will be no 3D commercials at this year’s “Big Game,” according to Fox, which said it wasn’t aware of any ads produced in 3D. That seems to be a step backwards, given the 3D ads that aired during Super Bowl XLIII.