Rogers announced it is bringing customers the next big thing in home entertainment with the launch of 4K ready gigabit internet speeds, a new 4K set top box, Rogers 4K TV and the world's largest commitment to live broadcasting in 4K with HDR.
Customers will enjoy live 4K TV broadcasts - four times the pixels of HD for higher resolution and improved motion video. Rogers will also introduce high dynamic range (HDR) - a leading edge technology that produces real-life images with richer colour saturation, contrast and resolution - in April 2024 for the Blue Jays home opener.
"4K TV sets have been in the market for some time and 40 per cent of all TV sales are likely to be 4K this holiday season. However, until now live TV broadcasts in 4K have been few and far between and customers have not been able to get 4K set top boxes," said Guy Laurence, President and CEO, Rogers Communications. "We are solving both problems in one go with the world's largest commitment to 4K broadcasting and a new 4K set top box for customers that will allow customers to see sports and entertainment in the highest resolution and with the fastest internet speeds. 4K gets you closer to the action than the linesman and first base coach, and HDR brings those images to life with intense colour and contrast."
Commits to broadcasting over 100 live events in 4K
Rogers customers can access over 500 hours of live sports, movies and shows in 4K beginning in 2024, including:
Every Toronto Blue Jays 2024 season home game (81) broadcast in 4K with HDR live on Sportsnet™
Over 20 marquee NHL games broadcast this season in 4K on Sportsnet,
Over 100 hours of 4K movies, series and TV shows on shomi
An ever-growing catalog of Netflix original series in 4K such as Narcos, Marvel's Daredevil, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Sense8, Grace and Frankie, Chef's Table, Bloodline, House of Cards and more
"As Canada's highest rated sports television network, Sportsnet continues to lead in innovative sports production with the introduction of 4K and HDR. We look forward to giving our viewers the latest and best quality broadcasts in the world," said Scott Moore, President, Sportsnet & NHL Properties, Rogers.
"As we go into year two of our 12-year partnership, it is exciting that Rogers is bringing even more innovation to the game and our fans," National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "4K will deliver a broadcast experience like no other in sports and I'm thrilled Canadian hockey fans will get even closer to the game and action with this technology."
Perfect for streaming 4K, Rogers Ignite Gigabit internet will start to roll out this year in downtown Toronto and the GTA, including: Harbourfront, Cabbagetown, Riverdale, King Street West, Queen Street West, the Financial District, Discovery District, Yonge and Bloor, and more, as well as Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby. By the end of 2024, Rogers Ignite Gigabit internet will be available to over four million homes - Rogers entire cable footprint across Ontario and Atlantic Canada. This investment to bring customers gigabit internet speeds supports Rogers commitment to delivering the fastest speeds to the most Canadians. Today over 3.4 million homes in Ontario can get Rogers internet speeds up to five times faster than the competition can deliver to most homes.
"The number of devices connected to the internet in the home is increasing and they are consuming more internet every month. With our Gigabit roll out, customers can watch TV in 4K and still have all their devices in their home streaming movies and shows with clearer picture quality and less buffering," said Laurence, noting it's an experience telephone copper wire technology cannot deliver. "We don't have to pick and choose which customers can access the fastest speeds, our technology will deliver it to virtually all our customers. Canadians shouldn't have to wait for the best home entertainment experience and fastest internet speeds."
A new partnership with Netflix will directly connect the Rogers network to Netflix servers, enabling a better Netflix experience with faster start-up times and superior image quality. Netflix will also be available on select cable set top boxes and Android devices from Rogers.
"Our partnership with Rogers will make it even easier for Netflix members to watch their favourite shows and films on their TVs," said Bill Holmes, global head of business development at Netflix. "Members with a Rogers 4K set top box will be able to enjoy Netflix original series in 4K, a more immersive experience with stunning picture quality."