The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) is reporting that not only will the UEFA Euro 2024 Football Championship be broadcast in 1080p with HDR, but the UEFA Champions League final will also be downgraded from 4K for the first time in nine years. The news comes as evidence in a growing shift away from 4K production for major sports broadcasts.
“There’s been a change in delivery format for a lot of major international tournaments and also domestic tournaments where broadcasters are now looking at 1080p HDR as the chosen one,” Eamonn Curtin, Global Client Director for EMG/Gravity Media commented to IBC. “It’s a benefit for us technically since we just have one signal to produce and manage rather than the four that made up the UHD signal.”
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Industry experts are speculating that the technical challenges of 4K production outweigh its possible benefits, with Executive Producer at International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) Ursula Romero stating at last year’s 4K HDR Summit, “We are constantly questioning whether we should broadcast in 4K and HDR. It’s a perpetual question mark because there is a big gap between producers and consumers.” Romero remarked on how consumers are shifting away from demanding the highest possible resolution for their sports, prioritizing other things like convenience and control over how they consume their media. “Everything revolves around social networks and they are now looking to watch sports by the minute and by the second, even in vertical format,” Romero commented.
The IBC confirmed that the upcoming Euro Championship as well as the Champions League final will be shot at the lower 1080p resolution, but with a wider dynamic range. “Taste tests of HD HDR versus 4K suggested that viewers preferred the sharper contrast and detail in light and shade in the HD version,” says the IBC.
