Panasonic announced today the activation of professional sports apps for baseball and basketball on its 2011 line of VIERA Connect-enabled HDTVs.

The planned addition of interactive sports apps including professional baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer was initially announced in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

VIERA Connect includes a collection of applications including expanded video streaming and two-way interactive features from gaming to social networking and fitness programs. In addition to video applications such as YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, the activation of professional sports apps will enable owners of Panasonic's VIERA Connect-enabled 2011 VIERA HDTVs to watch their favorite teams live or catch-up on archived games optimized for viewing on their large-screen flat-panel HDTVs.

In the coming weeks, Panasonic plans to further expand upon the sports offerings for consumers with the activation of professional hockey and soccer apps.

VIERA Connect will also include the VIERA Connect Market--an online store featuring a catalog of hardware products, as well as free and paid apps from third party developers.