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Sports

Comcast and the Masters Tournament Partner on Next-Generation 3D

Apr 05, 2010

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:  CMCSA, CMCSK), one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services, announced today that it will partner with Augusta National Golf Club to deliver the 2010 Masters Tournament in next-generation 3D across multiple platforms to give viewers a never-before-seen perspective of this historic tournament.   

Comcast will serve as a distribution partner from Augusta National and will deliver viewers two hours of live next-generation 3D coverage of the Tournament beginning with the Par 3 Contest on April 7 and continuing throughout the four Tournament rounds each day.  Daily time and hole coverage includes: 

  • April 7: Par 3 (3 - 5 p.m. ET) - Holes 4, 8 and 9
  • April 8 and 9: (4 - 6 p.m. ET) - Holes 14, 16 and 18 with rotating coverage of holes 10 through 13 and 17
  • April 10 and 11: (5 - 7 p.m. ET) - Holes 14, 16 and 18 with rotating coverage of holes 10 through 13 and 17 

 In addition to the live 3D viewing experience, Comcast will bring the 3D experience to its video-on-demand platform which will carry the prior day's coverage of the Tournament and a 20-minute condensed highlights and recaps of each day of the Tournament. 

To make this experience possible, Comcast will use its fiber network to carry a 3D production feed to the Comcast Media Center where it will be packaged for distribution to cable systems.  Comcast and IBM, the Tournament's technology partner, are also combining efforts to offer the same 3D coverage via www.masters.com. 

"The 3D experience gives viewers a player's perspective of Augusta National, like they're looking through a window onto one of the most beautiful and scenic venues in the world," said Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video and Entertainment Services for Comcast.   "We can't imagine a better setting than the Masters Tournament to give a glimpse of the future of 3D television." 

Viewers will be able to experience the course's undulating greens, steep bunkers, dramatic changes in elevation, countless azaleas and hundred-year-old trees lining the holes - all in 3D.  This first-of-its-kind, at home experience gives viewers a true sense of both the stunning physical beauty of Augusta National Golf Course as well as a newfound respect for the professional golfers who navigate the twists and turns of the course. 

To view the Masters in 3D, consumers will need a new 3DTV with 3D glasses and an HD set-top box with an HDMI connection, or a 3D PC/monitor using a 3D media player and glasses. Full HD and SD Masters Tournament coverage will continue to be available on CBS and ESPN.  

For those viewers who do not have 3D televisions, Comcast is carrying in-depth coverage of the Masters on video-on-demand in HD and SD, including: 

  • Highlights and the most memorable  moments from the past 55 years 
  • The 2009 Masters Official Film providing highlights and memorable moments from The 2009 Masters Tournament

  • The 2009 Masters Par 3 Contest

  • A Masters anthology from BBC

The Masters HD On Demand on TV content is available now, and the 3D content will be available beginning April 8. Comcast's Xfinity.com site will also host comprehensive coverage of the Masters with full event replays and extensive highlights, including daily recaps, commentary, analysis, press conferences and interviews starting April 5. 

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.6 million cable customers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.6 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. 

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.