NBC expands 4K HDR Olympics coverage for Paris 2024

NBC Sports has unveiled its plans for broadcasting the 2024 Paris Olympics, announcing that USA Network will offer 24/7 coverage in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos audio. This marks a significant expansion in the network’s ultra-high-definition (UHD) Olympic content.

NBC Olympics will produce events in 1080p HDR and then upconvert to 4K for distribution.

This UHD coverage will be available through several providers, including Altice, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV/DirecTV Stream, Dish, Fubo, Verizon, YouTube TV, and select participating NCTC members. To access the 4K HDR content, viewers will need a compatible television and set-top box or streaming device.

The 4K HDR format offers four times the resolution of current HD, with High Dynamic Range (HDR) providing a wider contrast and richer color range. The addition of Dolby Atmos aims to deliver an immersive surround-sound experience on supported platforms.

Programming details

USA Network’s Olympic programming will focus on Team USA and team sports such as basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, volleyball, and water polo. Additional sports, including track and field, 3×3 basketball, cycling, and swimming, will also be featured in 4K.

NBCUniversal reports that this expansion will result in more than 400 hours of 4K programming on USA Network, the company’s most extensive 4K Olympics coverage for a single Games. The 24/7 coverage is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET on July 24 and conclude at 5:30 p.m. ET on August 11.

While USA Network expands its 4K offerings, NBCUniversal has confirmed that its Peacock streaming service, which will live stream every Olympic event, will not feature programming in 4K.

Technical infrastructure for the 2024 Summer Olympics

For the Paris Games, NBC has deployed approximately 3,000 personnel to deliver coverage of 329 events across its platforms, including NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, and related cable networks. The broadcaster reports a significant technical transformation since the Tokyo Games, with infrastructure quadrupling in size.

Advertisement

NBC Olympics will have a reduced presence at the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Paris, located at the 80,000-square-meter Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Centre. The IBC facility will house camera shading, two announce booths, and a midsize studio for Peacock programming. The focus at the IBC will be on gathering signals and ensuring they are normalized and corrected before transmission to Stamford, Connecticut, where control rooms, record wall, edit rooms, playback, and graphics will be located.

The production format for the Games will be 1080p HDR at 50 Hz with 10 channels of Dolby Atmos. The operation will use SMPTE ST 2110 for video and Dante for audio.

Studios in Paris for NBC’s coverage

NBC Olympics plans to operate eight studio locations throughout Paris. Studio A, situated on the Place du Trocadéro overlooking the Eiffel Tower, will serve as the primary location for daytime programming. Studio B will host the “Today” show. Both studios will be equipped with four pedestal cameras, a Steadicam, and a Technocrane, with Studio A also featuring a cable cam extending to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Additional production elements include a TikTok set at the Team USA house in the Palais Brongniart, a Telemundo studio overlooking the Arc de Triomphe, and five ENG crews capturing footage across the city.

At key venues such as Stade de France (athletics), Bercy Arena (gymnastics), and Paris La Defense Arena (swimming), NBC Olympics will deploy mobile units and enhanced production capabilities. These setups will include instrumented jib cameras for graphics integration and virtual graphics systems.

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, will span broadcast and cable networks, streaming services, Spanish language coverage, theater experiences, accessibility features, social media, and audio platforms.