RTVE will broadcast the World Cup on DTT free-to-air UHD-4K HDR

RTVE will broadcast the FIFA World Qatar Cup with UHD-4K HDR quality via free-to-air DTT. The announcement was made by Victor Sanchez, Director of Media and Operations at TVE, and Angel Garcia Castillejo, Director of Audiovisual Policy, Public Service and International at RTVE, during the eighth edition of the 4K-HDR Summit, held in Malaga.

This is the first time that RTVE offers a football World Cup since 1998. Around 20 matches will be broadcasted with the highest image quality, including all those played by the Spanish national team. DTT UHD-4K HDR free-to-air broadcast will have a coverage of a 60% of the population. Spanish university and companies will collaborate in this initiative.

Thanks to a great country commitment in which the whole sector was aligned, Spain was the first European country to switch off its analogue terrestrial television, after a successful DTT deployment with a coverage of more than a 95% of its population. This happened in 2010, two years ahead of the deadline set by the European Union, making Spain the world leader in DTT.

Nowadays, DTT is the largest platform for TV consumption in Spain, thanks to its free-to-air programming that is received by more than 98% of the Spanish population. At the same time, DTT is by far the most inclusive, appropriate and economical platform for linear TV distribution in Spain. These factors make DTT the best option for a PSM like RTVE to fulfill its public service obligations established by law while being pioneer at worldwide level, offering the highest video quality possible and free of charge. This represents the first milestone in the evolution of a regular DTT service in this decade and lays the foundations for its technological agenda.

RTVE will broadcast from November 20 to December 18 all the matches played by the Spanish national team. In addition, RTVE will provide ten matches in the group stage – including the opening match –, four matches in the round of 16, two matches in the quarterfinals, the two semifinals, and the final. It will also offer the match for the third place, in case the Spanish national team plays it.