TV Answer Man, will this year’s Super Bowl be in 4K on DIRECTV and other satellite and cable services? And what about YouTube TV? Will they have the game in 4K. If so, I might switch to them!! — Maurice, Bangor, Maine.
Maurice, the 2022 Super Bowl, which will be played at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on February 13, will be broadcast by NBC, the first time the network has carried the big game since 2018.
In 2020, Fox became the first network to offer the Super Bowl in 4K. However, CBS did not return the favor last year, choosing to forego a 4K feed for the game.
So what about NBC this year? Will the peacock network come through for the growing 4K audience?
This week, I asked NBC spokesman Dan Masonson and here was his response:
“The game will not be in 4K,” he said.
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Masonson did not offer an explanation for why NBC will not provide a 4K feed of the game. But the decision is not terribly surprising. NBC has never done a single NFL game in the format, although it has produced the Olympics and Notre Dame football games in 4K, among other events.
And speaking of the Olympics, the Winter Games begin on February 3 and run until February 20. NBC, which has the U.S. broadcast rights to the games, is expected to offer them in 4K so the network could argue that it already has its technology plate full next month.
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In addition, the ongoing concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic could have contributed to the network’s verdict. California, the site of the Super Bowl, has arguably the nation’s strictest Covid safety guidelines for individuals and businesses.
However, the network’s decision is another blow for 4K TV owners who continue to clamor for more programming in the format.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@TVAnswerMan
I am always curious as to the 4K issue. Most cable companies do not broadcast in 4k. (I have a 4k flatscreen) At least Spectrum doesn’t. (Their cable boxes are an antiquated joke!) So where can we actually see it?
Not not only will NBC not show in 4k,
their apps only show in 30fps.
I watched a game trying NBC, NBCsports, and Peacock for the Bengals game and all three were noticeably “choppy” due to 30fsp on NBC apps.
I switched to my cox cable box and it was noticeably smoother, it must be 60fps.
It’s 2022!!! Step it up! How they going to broadcast the Olympics in 4k but not the superbowl!? Man just let fox broadcast the superbowl every year. Watching it in 4k was a joy…
What a joke. It’s 2022. If you can’t broadcast a major event in 4K you shouldn’t be allowed to broadcast it.