TV Answer Man, I am a big tennis fan and a 4K fan so my question is will this week’s U.S. Open stream in 4K or be on the pay TV channels in 4K? And will ESPN+ have the tournament on its app? — Ginger, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Ginger, the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament from Queens, New York begins today and will run until September 11 when the men’s singles final is played at 4 p.m. ET. This year’s event is generating even more excitement than usual because it might be Serena Williams’ final tournament of her historic career which includes 23 major championships, one short of the all-time record held by Margaret Court.
So which channels will provide coverage of the U.S. Open and will it be available via streaming? And will it be available in 4K?
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The good news is that ESPN+, the sports network’s subscription streaming service ($9.99 a month), and the ESPN app (accessible with pay TV user name and password), will stream all matches from all courts, starting each day from August 29 through September 8 at 11 a.m. ET. The two streaming apps will provide coverage from September 9 through the final day (September 11) at noon ET each day.
In the early days of the tournament, there will be up to 16 courts in action at the same time. ESPN says all matches will be available on demand upon their completion.
ESPN, the network’s main cable/satellite channel, will start its tournament coverage at noon ET today while ESPN2 will begin at 7 p.m. ET. You can see the complete, day-by-day ESPN/ESPN2 coverage schedule here. You can also learn more about the tournament here at its official site.
Also worth noting: DIRECTV subscribers can watch the action on seven different channels (channel 901-907) including a mix channel (901) that features six channels on the same screen. The satcaster will also offer interactive features such as a Live Scoreboard, Today’s Schedule, Draws, Player Bios and more. You can access the interactive app by pressing the red button on the DIRECTV remote while watching channel 901.
Now to question two: Will the tournament be available in 4K?
Answer: No.
Once again, the networks have decided not to offer a major event in the format. Maybe next year.
Ginger, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
“The two streaming apps will provide coverage from September 9 through the final day (September 11) at noon ET each day.”
This sentence isn’t quite accurate. ESPN+ and ESPN channels (i.e. ESPN, ESPN2, etc.) all stream within the same app, the ESPN app. There are no “two streaming apps”; just one app that includes all ESPN related content.
There’s an ESPN app for cable/satellite users and ESPN+.