Orange to show Monaco royal wedding in 3D

French telco and pay TV operator Orange plans to show the upcoming wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco on its 3D TV service.

Speaking at MIP TV this week, Ghislaine Le Rhun Gauthier, head of Orange’s 3D project told TBIvision that ‘event programming’ is an important part of its 3D service and that it will show the wedding live in 3D when it takes place on July 9. Prince Albert is marrying South African born Charlene Whitstock.

The 3D wedding news came as Le Rhun Gauthier said that Orange will be adding more movie content to its 3D service. The triple play operator’s linear 3D channel is effectively a showcase for the medium while its on-demand service gives the operator the opportunity to monetise 3D content. Accodingly, it offers 3D movies for €7.99 apiece – a regular HD movie costs €3.99.

In March, Orange did a deal with Paramount Pictures for three 3D movies – Shrek Forever After, How to Train Your Dragon and The Last Airbender – and Le Rhun Gauthier said it wants to add two more titles per month going forward.

UK pay TV operator BSkyB, meanwhile, had hoped to broadcast the upcoming UK royal wedding in 3D and went as far as filming a full rehearsal. John Cassy, director of Sky3D, said that he was sure it was technically and creatively possible to cover the event in 3D, but that the Palace had decided against approving 3D coverage on this occasion.

Forecasts unveiled by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers this week suggested 3D TV sets will be in almost 30% of homes by 2015.