Early adopters of expensive 3D television sets who could boast about being able to watch international sports events on the ESPN 3D channel were dealt an unexpected blow on Wednesday when the Disney-owned sports channel said that it would be pulling the plug on its three-year-old 3D channel. In a statement that cited low adoption of 3D in the home, ESPN said that it would shut down the channel by the end of the year. We are committing our 3D resources to other products and services that will better serve fans and affiliates, the company said in a statement. ESPN 3D had attracted just 300,000 subscribers, according to researchers SNL Kagan. Only 8.5 percent of American homes are capable of received 3D TV and many of those only watch movies available on Blu-ray 3D discs. But the availability of those discs is likely to diminish as movies released theatrically in the 3D format slows. Many moviegoers currently are shunning theaters showing movies in 3D, preferring to watch brighter, less-expensive 2D versions of the same films.