Not only will SuperSport deliver the best guests, analysis, variety and digital offering for the Fifa World Cup - starting in exactly one month tomorrow - it will also do so with the very latest in technology.
Apart from the existing High Definition offering, SuperSport will for the first time broadcast an entire World Cup in 4K, which is ultra-high definition and lends itself to fast-action sport. Most 4K devices have around eight million pixels, meaning every moment of every match will be displayed in brilliant detail.
Viewers who watch via their decoder will require an Explora Ultra, a 4K television (connected with the HDMI supplied with the decoder) and either a Premium, Compact Plus or Compact subscription.
And viewers who stream the tournament, either via Showmax Pro or DStv, will also be able to do so in 4K, provided they have a 4K television and either a Premium, Compact Plus or Compact subscription.
(Customers who stream in 4K can adjust video quality to manage data usage).
Even without 4K, however, viewers will experience High Definition viewing as standard with all the detail and high quality to go alongside one of the most anticipated World Cups of recent years.
Starting in Qatar on 20 November, all 64 Cup matches will be broadcast live and in 4K on SuperSport with all matches enjoying expert build-ups and summaries, plus state-of-the-art graphics and supplementary programming. SuperSport will also have crews on hand to capture breaking news, with a particular focus on Africa's five participants: Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal.
As an added bonus, SuperSport's World Cup broadcasts will be available in multiple languages, customised per region:
Nigeria: English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo.
Rest of Africa: English, Swahili, Sheng, Twi, Luganda.
Ethiopia: Amharic, English.
Maximo: Portuguese, English.
South Africa: English, Zulu, Setswana, Sotho, Portuguese.
“I can confidently say this is planned to be our most varied and dynamic World Cup offering,” said Marc Jury, SuperSport chief executive. “DStv’s teams have worked on this project for months and with just one month to go, we are ready to deliver a multi-platform broadcast that encompasses the very latest technology with some of the smartest, most entertaining soccer analysts in the world.”
Additionally, SuperSport’s offering will include World Cup action for Access and Family subscribers (via SuperSport LaLiga, DStv Channel 204).
Nineteen group matches, four round-of-16 matches, two quarterfinals, both semifinals, the third-place playoff and the final will be broadcast on the channel.