Giant 4K screens to broadcast World Cup in Rio de Janeiro

20 May 2014

Brazilians and visitors to the World Cup this summer will be presented with the ultra-HD standard of giant 4K screens in Rio de Janeiro.

Announced by Globo, Brazil’s largest television network, the deal will see a number of specially created 65-inch screens presented by Sony set up in the Jardim Botanico neighbourhood of the city.

According to Business Week, it is estimated that 2,500 workers will be required to run the organisation for broadcasting the world’s biggest sporting event, 1,500 of which will be accredited to the organisation in charge of the modern game, FIFA.

The decision to broadcast the events in 4K on giant screens has been in the pipeline for a considerable amount of time now, as both Globo and Sony have previously tested the monster screens in an invitation-only event for a number of selected people as part of Brazil’s hosting of the Confederations Cup last year, widely considered a warm-up event for hosting the World Cup this year.

Speaking to Business Week, Jose Manuel Marino, Globo’s head of technology for sports, has said the technology and scale of the 4K TVs has also been tested in other locations around the world, such as South Korea, but the World Cup will be the first event using the screens to feature live events.

Brazil World Cup image via Shutterstock

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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