NHK to broadcast Rugby World Cup in 8K 

Japanese broadcaster NHK is offering coverage of the upcoming Rugby World Cup in 8K.

The tournament, which kicks off on September 20 and emanates from Japan, will be the first time that the sport will be produced in 8K. 

Over the tournament, 28 and 23 camera plans will cover the action, rising to 34 cameras for the semi-finals and final. 

Coverage of the tournament will also be offered through multiple feeds in multiple formats, with content also available in 4K.

Augmented Reality graphics will also be incorporated into the coverage of 34 matches for elements such as team line-ups, player comparisons, statistics and tables.

World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Our mission is to grow the global rugby family and our Rugby World Cup 2019 broadcast plans reflect that mission – providing more content to more people with more innovation than ever before.

“We are excited that new standards will be set in the broadcast and social media presentation of Rugby World Cup, as fans will experience the action from more angles and feel even closer to the world’s top players and the stories that will mark an historic and very special event.” 

It is expected that the World Cup will reach the biggest audience in the history of rugby, with the event reaching more than 800 million households in 217 territories globally.

IGBS co-project director Dan Miodownik added: “We identified the areas where we could enhance the experience and looked at the ways in which we could deliver more content and in ways that rugby viewers have not seen before. By matching World Rugby’s ambition with our experience, I believe we have achieved that objective. It is going to be an exciting project.”