M7 Group has deployed Harmonic’s Ultra-HD video processing solution for live video distribution of the FIFA 2018 World Cup, the world’s largest soccer competition which began on June 14 and will run up until July 15, in Russia. The tournament matches are being delivered live in native Ultra-HD to all of M7 Group’s Canal Digitaal subscribers in The Netherlands via a dedicated channel called NPO UHD, set up specifically for the event by Dutch public broadcasters NPO and NOS.

For the duration of the soccer tournament, NPO UHD will be broadcasting via a dedicated transponder on Astra 23.5 degrees east, the key orbital position used by M7 Group’s Canal Digitaal for the distribution of its main channels.

According to recent industry reports, the Ultra-HD TV global market net worth will reach $67 billion by 2022. Harmonic’s Electra video processor for Ultra-HD handles live broadcast-quality HEVC encoding, assuring bandwidth efficiency and Quality of Experience (QOE) for viewers.