Eurosport’s director of distribution and development has discussed plans to begin regular 3D broadcasts, according to a report by Broadband TV News. Eurosport is currently broadcasting the French Open in 3D and could launch a full service as early as next year.

May 26, 2010 — Now that Sky has begun regular, albeit not full-time, 3D broadcasts, it’s time for the other channels to play catch-up. There was some chance of 3D streams of 25 World Cup games coming to the UK this summer, but broadcasters ultimately failed to secure rights to the footage. So Eurosport has turned its attention to tennis, helping Panasonic to broadcast the French Open in 3D to a number of retail locations in the UK. In France, Orange TV subscribers can even watch the 3D broadcasts from home — if they’ve forked out for a new 3D TV, that is.

Now, speaking at the Telenor Broadcast Day in Oslo, Eurosport’s director of distribution and development, Jean-Thierry Augustin, has said not only that the broadcaster might carry 3D coverage of August’s US Open, but also that it plans to introduce a regular 3D channel — possibly by early next year. If this channel came to the UK, it would be the first competition for Sky 3D, which is expected to extend its programming this autumn to include films and other entertainment. Currently, Sky 3D only broadcasts selected football fixtures to UK pubs.