Champions League final abandons 4K UHD for 1080 HDR

Champions League final and the EURO 2024 football tournament will be produced in 1080p HD high dynamic range (HDR), rather than 4K UHD.
The news that the host production format for the Champions League final will be downgraded from 4K for the first time in nine years is part of a growing shift away from 4K production for major sports broadcasts in the US as well as the UK.

According to an International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) report by writer Adrian Pennington, the main reason for the downgrading is a lack of interest from broadcasters and the rights holders of the respective competitions. There is also a question mark over whether 4K production is needed when many consumers are watching sport on social networks, even in a vertical format.
BT Sport became Europe’s first 4K broadcaster eight years, but few others have followed suit. The UBC report claims that the cost of buying new kit and upgrading studios and outside broadcast vans is not being recouped by a rise in subscriptions, with viewers largely unwilling to pay the premium for higher-resolution broadcasts.
The marginal visual uplift in 4K UHD production relative to Full HD HDR is also believed to be a factor. Studies comparing the merits of HD HDR and 4K suggest that viewers prefer the sharper contrast and detail in light and shade in the HD version.
Eamonn Curtin, global client director for EMG/Gravity Media, told IBC: “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.
“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.”