By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
Former Sony employee. Editor of 4 TV magazines.
TV Answer Man, I enjoy Fox’s college football games in 4K but do you think they will do any NFL games in 4K this year? That would be the best! And if they do, will YouTube TV have them in 4K? — Colin, York, Pennsylvania.
Colin, with the NFL’s week 10 underway, there has not been a single game in 4K this year. In fact, the networks/services that have game rights — NBC, CBS, Amazon, the NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and Fox — have never done a regular season NFL game in 4K with the exception of a few games broadcast in the format by Fox on holidays.
However, there has been hope within the 4K community that Fox would change that this year. The network has been more bullish on 4K than most others, offering NFL playoff games in the format (including the Super Bowl) as well as numerous college football and basketball contests in 4K. (Note: Fox upscales its 4K college games, meaning it produces the event in 1080p HDR on site and upgrades it to 4K HDR for the home transmission. Native 4K means it’s produced on site in 4K as well as transmitted home in 4K.) But there has been no indication from Fox that the network will start doing regular season games in 4K this year.
Will Thanksgiving’s Packers-Lions Game Be In 4K?
Except…Fubo, the live streaming service, lists this year’s Fox broadcast of the Green Bay-Detroit Thanksgiving game as being in 4K. The game will be played on November 23. Fox has yet to confirm that it will be in 4K but it did last year’s Thanksgiving game in 4K so it makes sense. And if Fox does the Thanksgiving game in 4K, it’s highly likely it will be available in 4K on YouTube TV and several other TV providers.
The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything changes. Until then, 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.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
