Can I watch the Olympics in 4K?

The short answer is: yes, it is possible to watch the Olympics in 4K. 4K, of course, is the next level up of video quality when it comes to TV and streaming content.

But unfortunately, the options are very limited – even with a 4K TV in front of you. 

And, it doesn’t even matter who your provider is. YouTube TV, and even DirecTV, all only use 4K coverage of the Paris Olympics on the USA Network.

Of course, that continues to discussion if 4K is even worth it at this point. My verdict: It’s a nice to have especially when there’s an added cost. But it’s used in such a limited manner – so especially in the case of the Olympics might not be worth paying extra for. When it comes to limited content, here’s another example: the Super Bowl was broadcast in 4K, but just one of the two championship games was as well.

Just 1 out of 6 channels in 4k

When it comes to the Olympics, I’m seeing six channels on YouTube TV broadcasting action from France. One of those in 4K. so just mathematically speaking, the chances that whatever I want to watch is actually being broadcast in 4K is pretty limited. (And that doesn’t count those four-event multiview channels. There’s like 3-4 more of those.)

So, yes the Olympics can be watched in 4K but in a very limited basis.

Enhanced 1080

YouTube TV also has a 1080 enhanced functionality which improves the quality from the traditional 1080. I’m seeing that functionality on my TV but not in the mobile app. Just go to the quality settings area and switch to it. Every time I switch the channel however it seems like it’s defaulting back to the regular 1080 quality.