ESPN to air college football in live native 4K
October 11, 2019
Beginning this weekend, ESPN will deliver select regular season college football games live in native 4K resolution in the US as part of the Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week.
This agreement with Samsung, who serves as production collaborator and presenting sponsor, kicks off on OCtober 12th with the matchup between No. 7 University of Florida and No. 5 Louisiana State University on ESPN and DirecTV. This live telecast marks the first in a package that includes six college football games this season, as well as a 4K feed that will be part of ESPN’s ‘Megacast’ presentation of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 13th 2020.
Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week marks ESPN’s first foray into fully produced live, native 4K sports programming. Upcoming game schedules will be determined and announced on a week-by-week basis.
“After months of planning and technical testing, we are excited sports fans can watch 4K UHD College Football games as part of the Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week,” said Jodi Markley, EVP, ESPN Content Operations and Creative Services. “As 4K technical resources and workflows become more readily available, we will continue to grow this standard across our operations. 4K images are stunning and we look forward to sharing them with fans.”
Grace Dolan, Vice President, Marketing, Home Entertainment at Samsung Electronics America, added: “This is why teaming up with ESPN for the Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week is such a pivotal point for the TV industry. Being able to experience true, native 4K college football games live on ESPN for the first time ever is a game changer. With a variety of super large screen size options, stunning picture quality, dazzling colours and ultra-wide viewing angles, Samsung QLED TVs allow fans to enjoy 4K college football action like they’re actually at the game with their friends from the comfort of their homes.”