TV Answer Man, NBC is doing the Olympics in 4K so will that include Peacock? Will I be able to stream the Olympics in 4K? — Marie, Corsicana, Texas.
Marie, NBC is providing a live 4K feed of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as well as its live nightly primetime show featuring recorded events from earlier in the day. The live 4K feed will be available on Comcast in 38 markets, YouTube TV in 52 markets, FuboTV in three markets, Verizon in 15 markets and Altice’s Optimum in one market. You can see a list of the providers and their markets here.
But what about Peacock, the NBC-owned streaming service, you ask?
Peacock will stream all 2,800 hours of the Olympics coverage to Peacock Premium subscribers (plans start at $4.99 a month.) But Peacock, which has never offered programming in 4K since its launch in July 2020, will continue that unfortunate practice by not streaming the Olympics in 4K, either.
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There also will not be a 4K stream on any other NBC app. The only way to watch the Olympics live in 4K is via one of the providers listed above. DIRECTV and Cox will also provide the 4K feed but they will not air it until the next day.
Peacock said at launch that 4K programming was on its “road map.” But it appears that the road is much longer than anyone thought, perhaps including some NBC executives. Hopefully, Peacock will add some 4K programming sooner than later, joining streaming rivals such as HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, all of which now have 4K titles.
Final note: NBC’s coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics begins today and will run through February 20. The 4K coverage will begin Friday at 6:30 a.m. with the live opening ceremony.
Marie, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
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— Phillip Swann
@TVAnswerMan
