BT Sport, Samsung Deliver Live 8K Sports Broadcast in the UK

BT Sport and Samsung have screened the UK’s first public live 8K sports broadcast, with a screening of the UEFA Europa League match between Arsenal and Olympiacos.

BT Sport and Samsung collaborated to make history by delivering the broadcast live from the Emirates Stadium using a bespoke BT Sport 8K outside broadcast set up, delivered to Samsung QLED 8K TVs.

Samsung showcased the match on its flagship QLED 8K TV, offering a glimpse into the future of entertainment technology and providing an unprecedented viewing experience.

With resolution that is four times that of 4K, with a total of 33 million pixels supported by HDR10+, the Samsung QLED 8K TV offers picture perfection that makes viewers feel as though they are really part of the action.

BT has a track record of industry-leading innovation in broadcast, with BT Sport operating from one of industry’s most sophisticated TV studios and delivering world-firsts in recent years around Virtual Reality, Dolby Atmos sound, 4K UHD picture quality and remote production. Last year it launched BT Sport Ultimate, the world’s first service to feature regular programming in High Dynamic Range (HDR), as well as 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos. Today’s broadcast over IP enhances the potential of BT Sport Ultimate, a service which provides viewers with the best viewing experience possible on the platforms and devices they use to watch on.

The showcase builds on BT and Samsung’s extensive relationship, with the companies combining expertise and technology to create entertainment experiences that are at the cutting edge of innovation.

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “BT Sport has a rich history of leading the industry with broadcast innovation to provide our customers the best viewing experience in the UK. Whether it’s last season’s launch of the world’s first regular high dynamic range service, BT Sport Ultimate, or, our world-leading remote production activity we’re constantly working to provide the best possible experience. Today’s broadcast in partnership with Samsung continues BT’s mission to take our viewers to the heart of sport and serve them the ultimate viewing experience.”

Dan Hastings, Director of TV and AV at Samsung UK said: “For 50 years Samsung has pioneered the TV category; from the launch of the World’s first Digital Colour TV in 1998, the world's thinnest TV in 2002, the first double-sided LCD screen in 2006 and then one of our biggest advancements to date; the first company to bring 8K TVs to the UK in 2018. We have shown that we never rest when it comes to pursuing meaningful innovations that could supercharge the way people consume content. It is great that we can add showing the first 8K broadcast to that list with BT Sport in 2020.”