NHK Launching 8K Channel

NHK is to launch two new channels, including NHK BS8K, an 8K offering.

NHK BS8K is positioned as the flagship channel for delivering the highest quality visual images. Music programs will include concerts by three of the world’s top orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic. Art broadcasts will feature masterpieces of the Louvre and the works of Katsushika Hokusai. The core content will also include dramas and nature programs and, in cooperation with NASA, scenes of the Earth shot from the International Space Station. Launching December 1, NHK BS8K will be broadcast from 10 a.m. to about 10 p.m.

Also debuting on December 1, NHK BS4K is positioned as the gateway channel for Ultra HD images. The special program to launch this channel will be the world’s first live 4K relay from Antarctica. In addition to its own 4K programs, the channel’s lineup will include 4K versions of popular 2K programs currently being broadcast on NHK’s terrestrial and satellite channels. NHK BS4K will broadcast for 18 hours daily from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

The content will be further enhanced and facilities installed to target full-scale dissemination by the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic year of 2020.