Fans enjoy first 3D football match in London

Sky plans to show weekly football matches in 3D at pubs across the capital following the success of its first live match in London.

More than 100 football fans saw the match broadcast at the Railway Tavern in Liverpool Street as Arsenal lost 3-1 to Manchester United.

Arsenal fan David Lubelski, 71, a doctor from Roehampton, said: "Watching the game in 3D you are really drawn into it. It is really sharp — not so much on the far angles, but the close ups are excellent."

Dean Clark, 31, a software test engineer from Wandsworth, said: "You really get a sense of the size of the players and their body language too. Sports like rugby and the Olympics will just be insane on 3D."

But Tom Dunmore of gadget magazine Stuff gave it a mixed reception: "Overhead shots of the ground were a disappointment, and you didn't get much of a feeling of 3D at all.

"But when it worked, it worked brilliantly."
The broadcaster revealed plans to start regular 3D broadcasts to pubs from April. It is installing 3D TV sets in around 400 across Britain for the Sky Sports 3D channel.

Sky then plans to add more sports, films and even game shows in the autumn, with the aim of making the 3D channel available to domestic customers. They will need 3D glasses and the TV sets go on sale in April.

Hilary Perchard, Sky's director of product management, said: "We are now negotiating with clubs and plan to launch in April with a weekly 3D game."