PyeongChang 2018: NBC Olympics To Distribute the Games in 4K HDR

Coverage, provided by OBS and NHK, will be available on a one-day delay

NBC Olympics has officially announced that it will deliver coverage of selected events at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in 4K HDR to Comcast Xfinity subscribers in the U.S. on a one-day–delay basis. The coverage will be provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Japan’s NHK. Although NBC has previously broadcast 4K coverage of the Olympics, this marks the first time coverage will be distributed in HDR. 

“The Olympics has always been a platform for the introduction of new broadcast technology,” NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel said in the announcement. “The availability of 4K high-dynamic-range coverage of Olympic ceremonies and competitions through our participating multichannel distribution partners will be a great showcase for this emerging advancement in the quality of televised sports coverage in the United States.”

The Opening Ceremony will be produced and distributed in 4K HDR, as will hockey, figure-skating, ski-jumping, and snowboarding events. The coverage will be made available on delay, with up to four events from the previous day’s competition distributed from Feb. 9 through Feb. 26.

“This is yet another first at an Olympic Games,” said OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos. “OBS is proud to continually provide and facilitate the very latest technology to its broadcast partners. The performances of the best athletes in the world deserve to be captured with the best broadcast technology available.”

The 4K HDR announcement comes on the heels of NBC’s revealing that it will also offer more than 50 hours of live virtual reality through the Intel True VR system.

SVG will be offering live behind-the-scenes coverage from PyeongChang. Check out sportsvideo.org for more in-depth coverage of the 4K HDR production.