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DISH to Offer 2016 Olympics in 4K Ultra HD

By Rachel Cericola

Unless you're an Olympian, chances are you won't be watching the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, DISH Network is planning to offer a viewing experience that will be the next best thing to being there.

The satellite service just announced a deal with NBCUniversal that will bring coverage of 2016 Rio Olympics to DISH subscribers in glorious 4K Ultra HD.

NBC's coverage in 4K will be available to Hopper 3 and 4K Joey customers on linear channel 146, as well as through DISH Network's video-on-demand catalog. All of the coverage will be on a one-day delay, but will include content from swimming, track and field, basketball, the men's soccer final, judo, and the Closing Ceremony.

More specifically, DISH will loop one event from the previous day's competition on channel 146 in three-hour intervals from August 7 through August 22, which is the day after the games conclude. The same 4K content will be available in DISH's on-demand library.

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The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will kick off in Rio on August 5, 2016. Photo: NBCUniversal.

Both 4K and non-4K Hopper users can enjoy a few other perks for the Olympics. DISH is launching a channel known as "2016 Rio Olympics" on channel 148, so that viewers can navigate through NBCUniversal coverage across 10 networks. This exclusive sports hub will include content from NBCSN, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Telemundo, NBC Universo, and two linear sport-specific specialty channels.

DISH will also offer an NBC Olympics app on Hopper set-top boxes, as well as the 4K Joey, Wireless Joey, Joey, and Super Joey units. This will include real-time medal counts, access to the complete NBC Olympics TV roster, and more.

Hopper users can also tap into the box's Sports Bar Mode to watch multiple events simultaneously. Available on the Hopper 3, Sports Bar Mode delivers four channels simultaneously on one screen, in 4K or HD. Users can then toggle through the channels on-screen to pick which one will play audio.

All DISH video subscribers can also stream live content from the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com free of charge, as well as get access to NBCUniversal's 6,755 hours of Olympic programming, including coverage of all competition sessions, on-demand.

"This summer is a great time to be a DISH customer," said Vivek Khemka, chief technology officer and executive vice president. "Extensive sports coverage is a big perk of a pay-TV subscription, and DISH is upping the ante by releasing a multitude of custom Hopper features tailored to enhance NBCUniversal's coverage of the Rio Games."

The 2016 Rio Olympics will begin on Friday, August 5, 2016. The live events will then run through Sunday, August 21.

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