By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Attended 4 Super Bowls as media rep.
TV Answer Man, is there any chance that CBS will do the 2024 Super Bowl in 4K? I know they haven’t done anything in 4K, but it’s the Super Bowl! What’s your prediction? — Bruce, Easton, Maryland.
UPDATE, January 9: CBS confirms the game will be in 4K.
Bruce, you’re right. CBS has never done an NFL game in 4K, regular season or post season, including past Super Bowls. However, the TV Answer Man noticed this morning that Optimum, the cable TV service in the tri-state New York area, and other states, listed the 2024 Super Bowl on CBS as an upcoming 4K event on its 4K page. (CBS has the broadcast rights to this season’s big game, which will be played on February 11, 2024.)
However, several hours after we published an article on Optimum’s listing, and contacted CBS for a confirmation that it would do the game in 4K, the cable operator removed the Super Bowl listing from the 4K page. We don’t know if Optimum added the Super Bowl 4K listing prematurely or if it was a mistake and the game won’t actually be in 4K. CBS has yet to respond to our morning inquiry and we haven’t heard back from Optimum on why it removed the listing.
It’s rare for a pay TV service to advertise a 4K event without getting prior confirmation from the network so this morning’s listing was encouraging news for 4K enthusiasts. But as we noted this morning, we have not seen the Super Bowl listed as being in 4K at any other pay TV web site yet.
Below is a screenshot of Optimum’s 4K page from this morning:
As you can see, Optimum said the CBS pre-game and post-game shows will be available in 4K as well as the game itself. If CBS does the Super Bowl in 4K, it will be the second network to do so. Fox did the 2020 and 2023 Super Bowls in the format, albeit upscaled 4K.
Listen to The TV Answer Man Podcast On the Super Bowl In 4K:
The TV Answer Man will update this article if we get a response from either CBS or Optimum.
Update, November 28, 4:30 a.m. ET: CBS and Optimum did not respond to our inquiries on Monday.
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.
