DIRECTV and Fox this week will officially begin its partnership to offer sporting events in 4K with the 4K broadcast of the California-Stanford basketball game.
The game, which will tip off at 10 p.m. ET on February 17, will be offered in 4K on DIRECTV’s dedicated live 4K channel, which is channel 106. On March 1, DIRECTV will also air the Fox regional telecast of the Washington-UCLA college basketball game live in 4K on channel 106.
Both games will be simulcast in high-def on Fox regional sports channels.
In November, the two companies announced a comprehensive carriage agreement that included future coverage of 4K sporting events on Fox, such as college basketball and football games, Major League Baseball contests, NASCAR racing and FIFA World Cup soccer.
However, the February 17 Cal-Stanford game will be the first 4K Fox broadcast on DIRECTV. The launch suggests the companies are preparing for more 4K events in the coming weeks, perhaps including MLB games when the regular season begins in April. DIRECTV already offers MLB Network’s coverage of regular season action in 4K.
DIRECTV recently changed the minimum package required to get its live 4K channel to Select so more subscribers could access it as well as the satcaster’s two other 4K channels, which are devoted to recurring programming and Video on Demand.
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To watch 4K on DIRECTV, you must get a compatible 4K TV, a DIRECTV HD DVR54 Genie System (or above), and installation of the Genie by a DIRECTV technician.
— Phillip Swann
