By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, I saw a World Cup game in 4K at my friend’s house over the weekend and I want to start watching live sports in 4K. My question is which of the live streamers have 4K sports? Does YouTube TV? DIRECTV Stream? I will subscribe to one if they do. — Neal, San Antonio.
Neal, Fox and Peacock are both streaming the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in 4K. You can watch the Fox 4K stream on the Fox Sports app if you have a pay TV subscription that includes Fox. (Several cable and satellite providers, including Dish, DIRECTV and Comcast, are also showing the games in 4K on special 4K channels.) And Peacock requires a subscription with plans starting at $5.99 a month. (Note: The Peacock World Cup games are the Spanish-language broadcasts.)
But which multi-channel, live streaming services offer sports in 4K, you ask?
YouTube TV does. The streamer has a base plan starting at $72.99 a month ($64.99 a month for the first three months for new customers) and the 4K add-on package is $9.99 a month. YouTube TV’s 4K lineup includes live sports from Fox, ESPN and NBC.
Fubo has a base plan starting at $74.99 a month, but 4K programming is only available in the $84.99 a month plan and above. However, there is no additional fee to watch 4K on Fubo. The service offers live sports in 4K from Fox and NBC, but not ESPN.
The three other major live streamers — Hulu Live, DIRECTV Stream and Sling TV — do not offer live sports in 4K. DIRECTV Stream has announced that it plans to this year, but thus far, its only 4K channel (104) largely consists of nature documentaries with no sports.
Neal, 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
