Thanksgiving: Will Fox Show the Cowboys-Giants Game In 4K?

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

TV Answer Man, I can’t believe the NFL isn’t in 4K. They certainly have enough money!! Is the NFL or Fox or CBS that decides this? — Jamal, Sacramento.

Jamal, there has not been a single NFL regular season game in 4K this year despite some fans who say Peacock’s streams of Sunday Night Football are in the format. (They are not; it’s only 1080p HD.) NBC, CBS, Amazon, the NFL Network, ESPN, Peacock, Fox have all decided to do their games in various forms of high-def. This is a network decision, not the league’s choice.

The reason, of course, is money. Producing a game in 4K — even upscaled 4K — requires more investment in labor and infrastructure such as trucks and other equipment. The networks have concluded that the squeeze is not worth the juice here. If they do games in 4K, the ratings will not rise enough to justify the cost.

But I do have some good news for you.

As it did last year, Fox has committed to broadcasting this year’s Thanksgiving (November 28) game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in upscaled 4K. For that, 4K fans can be truly thankful although one could argue the 3-6 Cowboys nor the 2-8 Giants might look presentable when seen in 4K.

The game, which starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, can be watched on the Fox Sports app in upscaled 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) by using your TV Everywhere user name and password from your pay TV provider.

The pay TV services that are expected to carry the Fox games in 4K on special 4K channels are DIRECTV, Dish, Sling TV, Comcast, Verizon, Optimum, DIRECTV Stream, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. (In FuboTV markets where the Fox affiliate is provided with your programming package.) Check your on-screen guide for more details.

(To find out what you need to watch 4K on the Fox Sports app, including which devices are compatible, click here. We can’t overemphasize the importance of having a device that Fox says is compatible for 4K.)

Note: Fox’s 4K broadcasts are upscaled from 1080p HDR. Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. Fox takes the 1080p HDR signal and converts it to a 4K format. Upscaling 4K is not considered as good as native 4K, but the inclusion of HDR can offer heightened colors and vividness.

Jamal, 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.

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.