Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final, taking place between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley tomorrow (1st June), will be available in UHD HDR, scaled up from its HDR feed.
IBC365 recently reported that the Champions League Final and this summer’s European Championship would both be captured in 1080p HD HDR, rather than 4K/UHD.
Commenting at the time, Thierry Fautier, Media Technology Consultant and former VP of Video Strategy at Harmonic, said: “We see similar discussions in the US, where Amazon Prime is on 1080p HDR track for Thursday Night Football, while WBD is on 2160p60 HDR for the Champion’s league, and the same WBD/TNT decides to put the UEFA final in 1080pSDR.”
Alongside increased costs, another possible reason behind such decisions could be technical. For example, if UHD cameras were used as source routing in a standard (non-IP) outside broadcast truck they would typically be distributed as four links using 3G-SDI (Serial Digital Interface). This Quad Link 4K/UHD signal needed careful monitoring to ensure sync when combined on output and made the work of the OB technically more challenging.
However, the BBC and several other broadcasters have successfully demonstrated that it is possible to produce a single workflow and output both UHD HDR and HD SDR.
It is also now common practice for UHD to be produced through upscaling, although the enhanced imagery would miss some of the finer details that might be captured using 4K/UHD.
You are not signed in
Only registered users can comment on this article.
Broadband subscription growth rebounds to hit 1.6 billion
Global fixed broadband subscribers reached 1.591 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 1.06% on the previous quarter and 4.15% year-on-year, according to research by analysts Point Topic.
Western Europe streaming revenue to hit $75bn by 2031
Western Europe's total streaming revenue is set to rise from $53.3bn in 2026 to $74.9bn by 2031, up 41%, according to 3Vision's Video Markets Tracker forecasts.
Spotify to add AI Persona badges on AI-generated artist profiles
Spotify is to start adding ‘AI Persona’ badges on some artist profiles from September 2026 to give listeners more transparency about whether the artist behind the music was a real person.
Disney+ strikes broadcasting deal with Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast
Disney+ has signed a one-year agreement to broadcast The Overlap network's Stick to Football podcast and a new show, named Stick to United with Wayne Rooney.
Paramount says Warner Bros Discovery deal has secured global regulatory approval
Paramount Skydance Corporation has claimed it secured regulatory clearance for its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery in all countries that have investigated the deal.
