• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, September 6, 2012

Add NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus to the list of executives casting doubt on the future of 3D TV. Lazarus believes the sports TV industry might jump over it to a degree and shift focus to the emerging ultra-HD format.
 
Sony and LG are among the manufacturers moving to launch sets with ultra-HD or 4K capabilities, meaning programming can be seen with four times the picture quality of HD.
 
As for 3D, Lazarus said there is a future, but “I just don’t know how bright it is.” NBC did offer Olympics coverage in the format, but Lazarus said the company will not be a pacesetter.
 
“We will follow, not necessarily lead, and we think that ultra-HD is probably the next migration both in the transmission and consumer electronics business,” he said at a Bloomberg Sports Business Summit on Thursday.  
 
Separately, Lazarus also reiterated that NBC broke even or made a profit on the London Olympics, which was a “far healthier” performance than anticipated and “certainly planned when Comcast bought NBC.”
 
Lazarus, who spoke on a panel, also addressed the growing emphasis on a two-screen experience while viewing. The aim is to get viewers to interact with related content to what’s on-air.
 
But he said that even if people are visiting an unrelated Web site, it can be a ratings generator. “They are distracted long enough that maybe they’re not clicking [away] during the commercials,” he said.
 
Also appearing at the Bloomberg event was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who addressed whether Time Warner Cable would begin to carry the NFL Network. He said via other deals a “market rate” has been set, and the NFL has no intention of yielding on it.

The NBA is on the brink of placing logos on uniforms. What about the NFL?
 
“We want to make sure we do what’s right for the brand … I don’t see any drive in our league [for that],” Goodell said.