September 21: Will ESPN Have a College Football Game In 4K?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, any news on whether ESPN will have the weekly game in college football in 4K this week? — David, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

David, ESPN doesn’t have a college football game in 4K every week during the season. But it does this week!

The sports network will offer an upscaled 4K broadcast of the Tennessee at Oklahoma game at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 21. (ABC and ESPN+ will simulcast the game in high-def.) Sixth ranked Tennessee has a 71.3 percent chance of winning against 15th ranked Oklahoma, according to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor.

YouTube TV, Dish, Sling TV, Comcast, Optimum and Verizon are expected to offer the game on their ESPN 4K channels. ESPN does not offer 4K programming on its ESPN TV Everywhere app or ESPN+.

The ESPN 4K broadcast will be ‘upscaled’ from 1080p HD.  The upscaled 4K means that the game will be produced in 1080p HD on site and upgraded to 4K for the home transmission. ESPN switched to upscaled 4K more than a year ago after previously doing some games in native 4K.

Fox, which also does upscaled 4K, will show two games in the format on Saturday. See this article for more details.

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.