ESPN broadcasts its first sporting event in live native 4K

On Saturday evening (12 October 2019) ESPN made some company history as it televised its first sporting event in live native 4K. In a partnership with Samsung, ESPN delivered its marquee game of the weekend — a clash between No. 7 Florida and No. 5 LSU — in the format.

The production is the first in a six-game package of games (dubbed the ‘Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week’) for the remainder of the season. In addition, there are plans to offer a 4K feed as part of ESPN’s popular Megacast during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

“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’,” Jodi Markley, EVP, ESPN content operations and creative services said in an official release. “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.”

“It’s been a momentous year for us as we continue to innovate and deliver the best in sports in vibrant 4K HDR, and we’re excited to give college football fans even more content options with ESPN,” added Tim Gibson, VP video and application marketing for AT&T.