ESPN begins 4K HDR rollout in the US

NBA, NFL, US Open and more sports will be available in 4K HDR on ESPN and ESPN2 in the US, starting on the Apple TV 4K before expanding to more platforms.

- "This includes all ESPN productions of Monday Night Football, NBA and NHL plus select live events across college football and US Open tennis, and marquee live events like Super Bowl LXI," the Disney-owned company announced.

The service will include 4K and/or High Dynamic Range (HDR), which provides a wider range of luminance and color for greater detail in highlights, shadows and color. Some content will be upscaled 4K.


Starting with Apple TV 4K
The 4K and/or HDR streams are available now, but only on Apple TV 4K (tvOS) and iOS, according to Disney.

- "The ESPN App on iOS and tvOS will be the first to support the new experiences, with additional connected TV platforms to follow, as well as on Disney+ in the U.S. to ESPN Unlimited subscribers. We will also have the ability to deliver the networks in 4K HDR through traditional and digital pay-TV providers (MVPDs and DMVPDs)."

Disney said that more platforms will be supported this fall ahead of Super Bowl LXI, but did not provide specifics. Will 4K HDR come to Roku, Fire TV, LG webOS and Samsung Tizen? Probably, but we do not know for sure yet.

- "Delivering 4K HDR full-time on ESPN and ESPN2 required coordinated investment across every stage of the signal chain – from how content is captured in Bristol to how it reaches a fan’s screen," the company added.