2010 Special Award: BSkyB

BSkyB, the leading satellite operator in the UK and Ireland, received a Special Award at IBC2010 for its initiative in launching the world’s first commercial stereoscopic 3D channel, Sky 3D.

To do this it tackled a huge number of challenges in a very short space of time. What content worked best in the stereoscopic 3D home, and how could that content be created within the budgets and timescales of television? How could the existing transmission infrastructure and installed base of set-top boxes carry the signal? What was the business model that would pay for it?

“In just two short years we have moved from a proof of concept to a live broadcast channel, having achieved a number of world firsts along the way,” said Brian Lenz, director of TV product development at BSkyB. “Innovation is part of Sky’s DNA, and I am delighted that the ambition, creativity and sheer hard work it has taken to turn our vision into a commercial reality has been recognised by IBC.”

One of the keys to success has been investing in a broad range of content: not just sport but opera, ballet, concerts, documentaries and more. The audience at the IBC Awards Ceremony, on Sunday 12 September in the Auditorium, were treated to a selection of the finest, 3D originated content.