Dish Network and Comcast will be joining AT&T in offering access to NBCUniversal’s delayed 4K coverage of the Summer Olympics in Rio, albeit in different ways.
Comcast said it will make that content available on demand via its OTT-based Xfinity in UHD app for Samsung and LG smart TVs. Comcast is also working on a 4K-capable box for X1, the Xi6, which will also support high dynamic range (HDR). Dish will offer NBCU’s 4K coverage on linear channel linear channel 146 and via its VOD catalog via the Hopper 3 DVR and 4K Joey devices.
Dish will also enable the “sports bar mode” feature on Hopper 3 to view up to four channels of coverage on one screen.
For the games, Dish will also feature a sports hub, under the 2016 Rio Olympics banner, on channel 148 that provides accesstoNBCU’s coverage on NBCSN, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Telemundo, NBC Universo and two linear sport-specific specialty channels.
Dish will also integrate the NBC Olympics app, which include real-time medal counts and the ability to tune to events or set up recordings, on its family of Hopper set-tops and 4K Joey, Wireless Joey, Joey and Super Joey devices.
Sling TV, Dish’s OTT-TV service, will also carry a portion of NBCU’s coverage of the games via the recently launched Sling Blue service – Bravo and NBC (in select markets), NBC Sports Network and USA. Those who take the Sports Extra pack also have access to Rio coverage on the Golf Channel. Sling Blue’s “Best of Spanish TV” customers can watch Spanish coverage on NBC Universo.
MSNBC and CNBC are typically offered on Sling Blue with the World News Extra add-on, but, Sling Blue will provide a free preview of those nets starting August 1 through the last Olympics event featured on those channels.
