fuboTV, the sports-focused OTT TV service, plans to launch a 4K offering in beta form this summer, according to co-founder and CEO David Gandler.
fuboTV hasn’t specified how much content in the pixel-packed format it might offer on a linear or on-demand basis, but the company expects to announce more details “in the coming weeks,” Gandler said.
The move will put fuboTV in some select company as a few traditional pay TV providers, such as DirecTV, Dish Network, Altice USA and Comcast have offered a limited amount of content in 4K. Layer3 TV, a managed, market-level, managed IPTV service now owned by T-Mobile that’s also working on a national OTT offering, offers a mix of linear channels and on-demand content in 4K.
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Among pure-play OTT services, DirecTV Now is working on upgrades to its streaming platform that will support 4K.
“This is a big push that we have,” Gandler said of fuboTV’s 4K initiative. “For us, [4K] is a big part of our future. Obviously, sports fans who buy expensive TVs certainly want to get the best picture quality.”
In addition to a 4K-capable TV, fuboTV customers that want to take advantage of the future offering will also need to have the app running on a streaming device, such as a Roku player, Apple TV or Fire TV box, that also supports the format.
fuboTV announced last fall that it had more than 100,000 subscribers, and expects to provide updated figures later this year.
While fuboTV’s core focus is the U.S., the company also offers a basic pay TV service in Canada. fuboTV is also developing a version of its service for Western Europe that is expected to launch “very soon,” according to Gandler.
More from the discussion with Gandler and about industry trends and fuboTV's plans will be featured in an upcoming issue of Broadcasting & Cable.
