October 19: ESPN’s 4K College Football Game of the Week

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

TV Answer Man, I saw the Fox 4K games for this week. What about the ESPN 4K Game of the Week? Have they announced it yet? — Jamal, Sacramento.

Jamal, you’re right. Fox this Saturday will have another upscaled 4K doubleheader of college football games. You can see our article for details.

But what about ESPN, you ask? Will the sports network deliver another game this week in upscaled 4K? Answer: Yes! And it’s a big one!

ESPN will broadcast an upscaled 4K broadcast of the Georgia at Texas game at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 19. ABC and ESPN+ will simulcast the game in high-def and Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe and Katie George will be on the call from the DKR Texas Memorial Stadium.

Texas, 6-0, is the nation’s top ranked team while Georgia, 5-1, is 5th ranked. The Longhorns are a 4-point favorite and the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Texas a 76.1 percent chance of winning.

YouTube TV, Dish, Sling TV, DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, 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.

Jamal, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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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.