ProSiebenSat.1 unveils plans for 4K UHD HDR broadcasts this year

German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 is to begin broadcasting its first shows in 4K UHD TV this summer.

The broadcaster will air the first episodes of science show Galileo Spezial and Rosins Rezepte in 4K and HDR in the late summer. Other shows will be broadcast in the format over the following months.

4K UHD TV shows from ProSiebenSat.1 will be available via the UHD1 channel from HD+ on the Astra satellite platform. Content will also be available on digital platforms including the web and ProSiebenSat.1’s red-button service to 4K HDR-capable TVs.

The move follows a pilot last year that saw the broadcater air three editions of Abenteuer Leben in UHD via its HbbTV service.

Nicole Agudo Berbel, chief distribution officer and EVP of digital at ProSiebenSat.1 said that the company was now expanding its UHD efforts to linear distribution channels.

The news comes after ProSiebenSat.1 posted solid Q1 results that nevertheless provoked a 10% dip in the company’s stock price.

Analysts at Berenberg said that investors were spooked by news that profits would be skewed towards Q4, leading to fears of a repeat last year’s profit downgrades.

Despite ProSiebenSat.1’s content business struggling in the first quarter, and a mixed picture for non-TV assets, Berenberg pointed to the company’s overall solid performance and argued that it was “capable of sustaining mid-single-digit EBIT growth and high-single-digit EPS growth” this year.