Kids block set for 3net

3net, the joint venture 3D channel from Sony, Discovery Communications and Imax, has unveiled what it claims is TV’s first dedicated kids’ 3D programming block.

The 3net Three Dee Kids block – aimed at 7-12s and their families – will comprise more than 30 hours of content at launch on October 1 and run on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the channel’s parents.

It will commence on September 25 with the 3D premieres of Canadian/Korean animated series Bolts & Blip and Singaporean-produced Dream Defenders as a special primetime broadcast.

The announcement marks a step forward in the channel’s “mission to provide compelling, diverse and original 3D television content to the broadest audience of consumers possible,” according to 3net president and CEO Tom Cosgrove.

3net will also broadcast 3D premieres of Sony Pictures’ 3D family films, live-action series Feeding Time, a 3net exclusive called Puppy Bowl and new short-form kids content. Further acquisitions will be announced in coming months, the broadcaster added.

3net first revealed its intentions for a kids’ block back in April. Earlier this month, Discovery Networks International’s president and CEO Mark Hollinger admitted the uptake of 3D in the US had been “slower than we anticipated” but said the broadcaster was taking a long-term approach.

This came after Discovery licensed its 3D VoD content – some from 3Net – to the UK’s BSkyB and Virgin Media despite having gained a license to broadcast a 3D channel in the territory. Discovery plans to see how the shows work before deciding whether to launch a channel, Hollinger added.