NEW YORK, LONDON, TORONTO – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that it is teaming up with BT Sport and Rogers to give fans the opportunity to watch a live NBA game in 4K for the first time.

The groundbreaking 4K broadcast will feature the Orlando Magic taking on the Toronto Raptors at The O2 in London on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. ET during NBA Global Games London 2016.  This will mark the first publicly available NBA game in 4K.

Last year, the NBA became the first U.S. professional sports league to capture a game in 4K, when the New York Knicks played the Milwaukee Bucks during NBA Global Games London 2015.  That broadcast was available to an invite-only list of NBA and BT Sport executives.

BT Sport will produce the broadcast using a state-of the-art 4K production truck and specially designed 4K cameras located throughout The O2.

The NBA 4K broadcast will be available for fans to view on BT Sport’s Ultra High Definition channel in the United Kingdom and Rogers 4K (Channel 999 via NextBox 4K) in Canada.

4K represents the latest evolution in the television viewing experience, delivering horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 DPI.  Most current high-definition televisions are offered in the area of 1,080 DPI.

The NBA has long been a leader in utilizing the latest technology to enhance the game experience for fans.  On opening night of the 2015-16 NBA season, the NBA provided fans with access to view the first live professional sports game in virtual reality.  The live stream featured the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors taking on the New Orleans Pelicans, and included the Warriors’ pregame championship ring ceremony.

Executive Quotes:

Steve Hellmuth, Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, NBA

“We are thrilled to team with BT Sport and Rogers to bring fans the first NBA game broadcast live in 4K.  We are always looking for new and innovative ways to bring our passionate fans closer to our game, and this groundbreaking 4K broadcast is a great opportunity to provide fans at home the sharpest look ever at the NBA.”

Rick Brace, President, Rogers Media

“We’ve been working on 4K technology for the past few months to deliver superior quality for our Sportsnet productions.  This is cutting-edge technology that continues to evolve, and will only get stronger.  4K is taking off and we’re building world-class content and investing in technology to deliver a true 4K experience for our customers.”

Jamie Hindhaugh, COO, BT Sport and BT TV

“We are extremely proud to have launched Europe’s very first live sports 4k channel, BT Sport Ultra HD, and to be innovating and leading the UK TV market.  It’s fantastic to be able to share our learnings and expertise with the NBA and Rogers to broadcast the first ever NBA game, live in 4K, in both the UK and Canada.”