BT Sport's iOS and Apple TV Apps to Stream Champions League Final in HDR - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

BT Sport's iOS and Apple TV Apps to Stream Champions League Final in HDR

by

BT Sport has announced its first ever live mobile HDR stream will be the Champions League final in Madrid between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Saturday, June 1. BT Sport subscribers will be able to watch the match in HDR via the BT Sport app for iPhone and Apple TV.

Screenshot 1
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. HDR videos provide a broader range of colors and luminance compared to sub-HDR content, and the format also supports quality video playback on a wide variety of screen sizes.

Logged-in subscribers of the BT Sport app on an iPhone X, XS, XS Max, ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, or iPad Pro (2nd and 3rd generation) will be served with a tile on the homepage so they know the Champions League soccer final is available to them. Users without a HDR-capable device or logged-out users will see the normal tile on the homepage without any reference to HDR.

To AirPlay the match, users will need a capable TV to watch in HDR. The vast majority of 4K TVs sold in the last few years also support HDR. The app will detect HDR compatibility and serve the appropriate stream.

The Champions League final will also be available to non-BT Sport subscribers for free, though not in HDR. It will be shown on the mobile and large-screen apps, on BTSport.com and on YouTube. BT Sport's live coverage begins at 7pm on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD.

Apple debuted HDR support with the "Super Retina" display in the 2017 iPhone X, which became the first HDR OLED display incorporated into one of Apple's smartphones.

Apple also lists the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone XR as supporting HDR, but the displays for these devices are not the same as the Super Retina display on Apple's ‌OLED‌ iPhones, so any HDR content played on the 8 or 8 Plus isn't true HDR.

BT Sport claims its live HDR coverage of the Champions League Final on a mobile device is a "world first," and says that going forward it plans to show up to 70 live sporting events in High Dynamic Range per season.

Top Rated Comments

Vado Avatar
97 months ago
It's embracing for NowTV/Sky that BT are dong this with their iOS/tvOS app and they have the absolute eyesore and utterly shambolic offering that is the NowTV app.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
97 months ago
Can't smile without you! COYS!
COYS!! Can’t wait!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jhfenton Avatar
97 months ago
COYS!
Can't smile without you! COYS!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnyslats Avatar
97 months ago
Will have to watch minus the HDR as my EE trial literally just expired! COYS!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
How frustrating! The connection is usually the culprit as 4K demands four times the bandwidth than 1080p, though it's strange that the Xbox could handle it with no issue. Was it the same 4K stream on Xbox too?

I wonder if this could help you: About frame rate and dynamic range matching on Apple TV ('https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208288')

Good luck!
There was no 4K stream, that’s the thing. The highest quality stream BT had was a 1080p HDR 50fps stream.

So in theory, changing Apple TV output from 4K to 1080p shouldn’t have made a difference at all, as it’s the same stream. I guess the Apple TV is having to upscale the content though to output at 4K.

Also, the BT sport app seems to completely ignore the ATV’s match frame and range settings. If I set it to output 4K HDR, which is my default, the the BT app interface and any stream I play, even though the source is SDR most of the time, the ATV is still outputting HDR. So BT completely ignore the match settings
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenc Avatar
97 months ago
How frustrating! The connection is usually the culprit as 4K demands four times the bandwidth than 1080p, though it's strange that the Xbox could handle it with no issue. Was it the same 4K stream on Xbox too?

I wonder if this could help you: About frame rate and dynamic range matching on Apple TV ('https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208288')

Good luck!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Store Logo

Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month

Tuesday November 3, 2026 7:34 am PST by
Apple today announced that its Festival Place store in Basingstoke, England will be permanently closing on Saturday, November 21. Apple Festival Place Apple had already announced that the store would be closing in November, but it had not provided the public with a specific date until now. Apple's store inside the Festival Place shopping center opened in 2011, so it had a 15-year run....
Apple Store Wallpaper Basic Apple Guy

Apple Store in UK Reopens With New Design on iPhone Duo Launch Day

Friday October 23, 2026 12:10 pm PDT by
Following more than three months of renovations, the Apple SouthGate store in Bath, England reopened today, just in time for iPhone Duo launch day. The store has received an updated design with a dedicated Apple Pickup area, a more accessible Genius Bar with varied table and seat heights, and other...
apple pay feature dynamic island

UK Proposes New Ways to Help Apple Pay Rivals

Tuesday October 20, 2026 9:57 pm PDT by
The UK's competition regulator has proposed changes to make it easier and cheaper for companies to offer alternatives to Apple Pay on the iPhone (via Reuters). The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says Apple's fees and restrictions make it too difficult for rivals to launch contactless payment apps. Its proposals would give developers more ways to access the iPhone's NFC technology,...
Latest Stories
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
40 minutes ago
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
2 hours ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
2 hours ago
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
2 hours ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Gets $99 Amazon Discounts, Starting at $699.99
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Gets $99 Amazon Discounts, Starting at $699.99
2 hours ago
Apple Pay Ad Features Martial Arts Convenience Store Food Fight
Apple Pay Ad Features Martial Arts Convenience Store Food Fight
2 hours ago
Apple Continues to Say Some AI Features Will Have Fees for Extra Usage
Apple Continues to Say Some AI Features Will Have Fees for Extra Usage
3 hours ago
Apple Announces Türkiye Expansion Plans as Tim Cook Visits
Apple Announces Türkiye Expansion Plans as Tim Cook Visits
4 hours ago
Singapore Saved Apple $2.7 Billion in Taxes This Year
Singapore Saved Apple $2.7 Billion in Taxes This Year
4 hours ago
Apple Music's 2026 Artist of the Year is Olivia Dean
Apple Music's 2026 Artist of the Year is Olivia Dean
4 hours ago
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
4 hours ago
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
5 hours ago
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
5 hours ago
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
5 hours ago
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
6 hours ago
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
7 hours ago
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
7 hours ago
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
8 hours ago
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
8 hours ago
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
8 hours ago
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
17 hours ago
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
1 day ago
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
1 day ago
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
2 days ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
2 days ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
2 days ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
3 days ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
3 days ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
3 days ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
3 days ago