NBC Plans 4K Ultra HD Olympics Coverage

STAMFORD: NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad from Rio de Janeiro will include 4K Ultra HD footage made available to cable, satellite, telco providers and other partners.

The coverage will be made available on one-day delay and will include 4K UHD footage from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, swimming, track and field, basketball, the men’s soccer final and judo, as well as Rio scenics. Additionally, one event from the previous day’s competition will be provided daily from August 6 through August 22. NBC Olympics will distribute the 4K UHD coverage provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Japan’s NHK to U.S. distribution partners, who will individually choose how they will make the content available to their customers.

“The Olympics have been a consistent driver of technological advancements, and Rio will be no different,” said Gary Zenkel, the president of NBC Olympics. “The stunning backdrop of Rio combined with the world-class competition of the Olympics will give the American audience a spectacular early look at this impressive new technology.”

Yiannis Exarchos, OBS’s CEO, added: “Since the London Games, OBS and NHK have been working together, experimenting on the future standard of 8K. Substantial recent technological advancements have allowed us to pursue this opportunity further for the Rio Games and to offer a 4K feed for a number of sports, down-converted from the original 8K, to NBC and other interested Rights Holding Broadcasters around the globe.”