NBC Sports, AT&T Team Up To Deliver Premier League in 4K/UHD on DirecTV

Match coverage will be the same as HD broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN

NBC Sports Group and AT&T will offer the first live U.S. telecast of the Premier League in 4K/UHD this weekend to eligible DirecTV 4K customers. DirecTV will distribute the 4K/UHD coverage on channel 106 beginning this Saturday, Jan. 21, with Manchester City v. Tottenham at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by Arsenal v. Burnley on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 9:15 a.m. For the remainder of the 2016-17 season, NBC Sports Group will present selected Premier League matches in 4K/UHD via DirecTV.

4K/UHD coverage of the Premier League will provide the same match coverage as the HD broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN.

NBC Sports Group will take the native-4K feed from Premier League world-feed provider IMG into its Stamford, CT, broadcast center and standards-convert the feed to NTSC using the Snell Advanced Media Alchemist conversion system. NBC will then re-encode the feed using Ericsson Envivio encoders provided by DirecTV and send the HEVC backhaul feed at 80 MBps to DirecTV’s Los Angeles Broadcast Center (LABC) for distribution on its consumer network.

“The biggest hurdle through all of this was selecting a standards-conversion [system] that we found acceptable,” says DirecTV SVP of Content Operations John Ward. “We finally did go with the Snell Advanced Media Alchemist converter. We’re very excited about it, and it should look great. We will leave the [encoders and converters] in Stamford, CT, and we’re very excited about our relationship with NBC and looking forward to providing more 4K/UHD content with them.”

Previously, NBC Sports Group and DirecTV presented coverage of Notre Dame Football and the Rio Olympic Games in 4K/UHD.

DirecTV has been the driving force behind 4K/UHD in the U.S. over the past year, delivering a wide variety of events in the next-gen format, including a current 15-game package of NBA games in conjunction with NBA TV. Other live 4K sports content has included MLB Network Showcase games, The Masters and PGA Championship (with CBS Sports), the U.S. Open (with Fox Sports) and UFC 200.

“We’ve learned a lot since The Masters last April,” says Ward. “The amount of time needed for setup has decreased dramatically, and trucks that are handing us the quad feeds are getting them to us cleaner, so there is less manipulation that has to be done to them. The various vendors and broadcasters have stepped up big time to make sure what the trucks are delivering for final encode is correct.

“Our check-ins are getting shorter as well,” he continues. “For Augusta, we were checking in seven hours before going to air. Today, we are starting to do check-ins for NBA games just two hours before air, which is similar to standard HD check-in. That is a major step.”

The games will also be available to DirecTV customers in standard- and high-definition on their local NBC stations and on NBCSN.

“We’re excited to continue our commitment to provide fans with unprecedented coverage of the Premier League by offering matches in 4K this season on DirecTV,” Jon Miller, president, programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN, said in a statement.

Subscribers wishing to watch the games in 4K/UHD will require a Genie HD DVR (model HR54 or later) and a DirecTV 4K Ready TV, or a 4K TV connected to a 4K Genie Mini, as well as a Select Package or higher and 4K account authorization.

“Premier League action in the stunning detail and color of 4K/UHD on DirecTV will be a pitch-perfect viewing experience, whether you’re a devoted or occasional fan of the game,” says Dan York, chief content officer, AT&T.