AT&T DIRECTV to Launch First 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) Live Broadcasts in U.S. With Full Slate of Sports, Music and Events

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine the reflection of freshly groomed ice as your favorite hockey players skate out for the first time. Now imagine the bright lights of the basketball arena as they light up the court like a Broadway stage. And think of the glistening sweat of your favorite musician as they perform in front of thousands of fans…

Imagination becomes reality from the comfort of your couch as AT&T* DIRECTV becomes the first U.S. pay-TV provider to broadcast LIVE in 4K HDR with a full slate of sports, music and events.   

The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights airing Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. ET will be the first event to air live in stunning 4K HDR, via a simulcast of NHL Network.

AT&T DIRECTV will also broadcast 13 NBA games in 4K HDR this season. Last season, AT&T and NBA TV, jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports, provided fans in the U.S. with the opportunity to watch a live NBA game in 4K Ultra HD (UHD) for the first time, when DIRECTV distributed NBA TV's telecast of the Denver Nuggets vs. the Utah Jazz game on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016. The NBA was the first U.S. professional sports league to capture a game in 4K in January 2015, when the New York Knicks played the Milwaukee Bucks during NBA Global Games London. 

The slate of live 4K HDR¹ will feature:

• The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights² on Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. ET simulcast of NHL Network.
• The Brian Setzer Orchestra's 14th annual "Christmas Rocks!" concert Live from the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. PT simulcast of AXS TV.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. from NBA TV³
• Women's college basketball University of Connecticut vs. Duquesne on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. ET simulcasts of SNY.
• The Toronto Raptors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. ET from NBA TV.
• The annual Rose Parade. Live from Los Angeles on Jan. 1 at 11:00 am ET simulcasts of HGTV.
• Plus more of the best NBA TV games throughout the regular season!

4K offers 4x as many pixels as High Definition (HD). The new live 4K HDR broadcasts will combine technologies that enhance a variety of elements of picture quality. 

What does HDR look like?

HDR adds better contrast. And wide color gamut (WCG) makes the colors on your TV more closely match what you see in real life. The 10 bit color depth shows a smoother gradation in color. For example, the gradients of a sunset will appear smooth rather than banded. And at 60 frames a second, motion will be more fluid. You'll see greater clarity with every play in a game.

AT&T offered the first-ever live 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) broadcast in the United States in 2016 at The Masters and continues to lead in live events and sports and has aired more than 700 hours of live programming from college football, NBA, MLB, the Olympics and more.  

DIRECTV hosts three fully dedicated 4K TV channels (104, 106 and PPV channel 105) with both live and previously recorded documentaries, concerts, series and pay-per-view events.  

¹Limited programming available. To watch content in 4K HDR, 4K HDR compatible equipment, minimum programming (SELECT Package or higher), 4K account authorization and professional installation required. NBA games are included for subscribers of NBA TV.  NHL are included in our DIRECTV XTRA Package and above base packages.  SNY is included in DIRECTV Premier Package and Sports Pack.  If 4K TV does not support HDR, games will be viewable in standard 4K.  Other conditions apply.

²The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights 4K HDR telecast and simulcast on NHL Network will be blacked out in the Pittsburgh and Las Vegas regions. The regular telecast of the game will be available in both teams' markets on the local RSNs.

³NBA games on NBA TV, from NBA TV, the league's 24-hour television network jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports.

*About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation's best data network** and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider. We're one of the world's largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions. 

AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

**Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q1 + Q2 2017 across 121 markets.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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