BT is taking its Premier League football coverage for the new season to the next level with the launch of a new channel called BT Sport Ultimate.
The new channel, which is really just a rebrand of the BT Sport 4K UHD channel, will broadcast live Premier League action at 50 frames per second in 4K resolution, with support for High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos sound.
The channel launched at the weekend with live coverage of the FA Community Shield match between Liverpool and Manchester City. It will show all 52 of the Premier League games BT has rights too this, plus as a number of Champions League and Europa League matches throughout the year.
The inclusion of support for HDR is notable as BT’s main rival Sky has yet to add this feature to its own Premier League coverage. BT said HDR would “maximise the colour and definition capabilities” of its coverage, so the games shown on BT Sport Ultimate should deliver some of the most realistic-looking footy images yet seen.
BT said the new channel can be accessed via Smart TVs, laptops, Apple TV, tablets, smartphones and PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Customers will need one of BT’s TV Total Entertainment, Max, or Max HD subscriptions in order to gain access; alternatively, the service will also be available free of charge to EE mobile customers.
BT said the Sport Ultimate channel will replace BT Sport 4K UHD on both BT TV and Virgin Media services. It can be accessed on channel 433 for BT TV customers, and on channel 531 for those who use Virgin Media.
“The launch of BT Sport Ultimate means BT is first to market with the launch of a new innovation, allowing our customers to take the sports viewing experience on mobile to a level unmatched anywhere,” said Pete Oliver, managing director of marketing in BT’s consumer division. “This is the latest step in our Best Connected plan, to offer our customers the best content and the best technology, through partnerships with the world’s most innovative companies.”
