3net expands ultra HD programming slate

US 3D network 3net has unveiled a new slate of ultra HD programming, as the debate over the future of 3D programming intensifies.

3net’s move comes just a week after HBO’s technology chief Bob Zitter claimed 3D glasses in the home was “dead” and had been rejected by consumers.

But 3net’s president and CEO, Tom Cosgrove, has defended the medium, claiming: “The global growth of 3D TV into the home increased by 72% in 2012, and we’re starting to see the impact of those 41 million new sets sold last year as consumers around the world look to their entertainment providers for compelling, original 3D content.”

To that end, 3net and its production wing 3net Studios are working on a pair of new 3D originals, non-scripted garage reality series Turn & Burn (6x60mins) and Dark Secrets (8x30mins), which recreates supposedly supernatural events. It will also simulcast Hillbilly Blood: A Hardscrabble Life (12x30mins) on April 13 along with Discovery-owned 2D cable network Destination America.

3net has also put three 4K natural history and documentary originals into development. These are National Parks Adventure, Metropolis and Made by Man.

Cosgrove added that “with a 2013 forecast of continued dramatic 3D TV penetration – and now a faster than anticipated rollout of 4K – 3net Studios is bolstering our current roster of original 3D and 4K production to keep pace with the growing demand from the global marketplace”.

3net is a joint venture of Sony, Discovery Communications and IMAX.