AT&T U-Verse drops ESPN 3D from its lineup

AT&T U-Verse abruptly pulled ESPN-3D from its channel lineup on Sunday, just before the channel's planned showing of the final night of the 17th X Games in 3D.

AT&T had been offering the channel to viewers at the cost of $10 per month, but said customer demand was not high enough to justify renewing its agreement with ESPN 3D. AT&T will continue to carry its 3D video-on-demand service, though.

The channel launched last year during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Since then, it has shown events such as the X Games, the 2011 NBA Finals, college basketball and football, and MLB games.

DirecTV and Comcast continue to carry ESPN 3D at no additional cost to consumers.

The move suggests that the high prices of 3D TVs and glasses, in addition to limited channel offerings, have kept 3D TV a niche market for many consumers. Last year, only 1.1 million 3D TVs were sold, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Sales are expected to increase by 6 percent this year, to 1.9 million.

Check out Consumer Reports' TV ratings to find out how the latest models—including 3D TVs—performed in our tests.

AT&T drops ESPN 3D off the deep end [The Big Lead]
AT&T abruptly drops ESPN 3D from U-verse [Engadget]
ESPN 3D TV exec: scratch that niche [The Big Lead]

—Evan MacDonald