Euro 2024 producers have reportedly announced that the match will not be produced in 4K, which obviously means it cannot be broadcast in 4K on TV. With broadcasting rights shared between the BBC and ITV in the UK and Fox in the US, this is yet another major football event (soccer for US readers) that will not be broadcast in Ultra HD.
It was announced at the 2023 Sky Sport Summit that UEFA had decided not to produce Euro 2024 in UHD – also known as 4K (via FlatpanelsHD). This was in turn confirmed by broadcaster Karl Petermichl, head of distribution at Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, who said on Twitter:
“Unfortunately I have just received confirmation from the EURO 2024 production committee that there will be no UHD production in Germany”
unfortunately I have just received the confirmation from the EURO 2024 production committee, that there will be no UHD production in Germany…July 13, 2023
That reports Broadband TV News, the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics want to broadcast the event in 4K. This year’s Superbowl was able to broadcast in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR – and even if it was only through Comcast Xfinity, it was still a step in the right direction. So it does raise the question; is football obsolete?
Opinion: Another blow to the sports broadcaster
With the best 4K TVs becoming more affordable and accessible to people these days, it’s unclear why major sporting events still struggle to support 4K in the streaming age. Sporting events are some of the first to experiment with new technologies, as evidenced by BT Sport streaming a rugby match between Bristol Bears and Saracens in 8K in March 2022. Still, it’s a step back when one of the biggest competitions in football, the world’s most popular sport, isn’t broadcast in 4K.
Something that Euro 2024 producers should take into account is the number of viewers. The Superbowl was watched by an average of over 110 million people and an effort was made to at least get the best out of viewers’ 4K TVs.
So it seems bizarre that the producers of Euro 2024 decided not to continue like their American football counterparts. This given the success of Euro 2020, which was postponed to 2021, which was watched by more than 320 million viewers for the final alone and a total of 5.2 billion viewers over the course of the competition, according to UEFA.
Football is a high-energy, high-energy sport that has a great atmosphere and lends itself to eye-catching visuals that are guaranteed to shine on the best TVs for sports.
In 2018, broadcasters faced many headaches as they attempted to show the World Cup in 4K, with regular bandwidth issues hampering the opportunity. But are we really saying that when Euro 2024 rolls around six years later, we’re not ready to give it another go?
It’s just over 12 months until Euro 2024 kicks off on September 7, so we’re hoping producers change their plans, but as it stands, it’s not good news for those who own one of the best TVs and sports fans.