New street art mural celebrates start of Premier League in best picture quality
New street art mural celebrates start of Premier League in best picture quality
- Vivid artwork and research, commissioned by Sky Q, marks live Premier League games being broadcast in Ultra HD with HDR (Ultra High Definition with High Dynamic Range) for first time
- Created by street artist, Jody Thomas, true-to-life art features fan favourites Jordan Pickford, Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling
- Vibrant and immersive 3D effects bring fans closer to the action and their idols, as you can now watch the games in the best picture quality with High Dynamic Range
Sky Q unveils a hyper-real mural of England’s favourite football heroes to celebrate the launch of live football broadcast in Ultra HD (Ultra High Definition) with HDR (High Dynamic Range) - Ultra HDR - for the first time. Kicking off with Arsenal’s visit to Premier League new boys, Brentford, tonight.
The mural, commissioned by Sky Q, features three of England’s brightest talents, Jordan Pickford, Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling. They topped the poll of fans voting for their favourite players based on performances at EURO 2020 – where the national side put in its best performance for 55 years. Manchester City bound star, Jack Grealish, came in fourth, with England’s hardy central midfield duo, West Ham’s Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips of Leeds United, also making the top 10.
Created by Bristolian street artist, Jody Thomas, the hyper-real street art brings to life the qualities of Sky Q’s live HDR Premier League coverage through Thomas’ distinct use of colour, creating a true-to-life picture of the footballing talent. The artwork, which took more than 70 hours to complete and features more than 50 colours and shades, can be found on Tottenham High Road – near the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – for football fans to get closer to their favourite players.
The artwork marks Sky’s latest step to make HDR the new standard for home entertainment, bringing fans closer to the action with the introduction of HDR to live sport. Making darks darker and brights brighter, you can now experience the highs and lows of the season in the best picture quality, from the comfort of your home.
Ideal for a nation of sofa tacticians, as watching at home is football fans’ favourite viewing experience away from the ground (61 per cent), with the local pub coming in second (30 per cent).
When it comes to quality on the pitch, more than two thirds (67 percent) of football fans believe the standard of the game is the best it’s ever been, with nearly half (45 percent) of UK football fans saying they love football so much, they ‘don’t know what they would do’ without it.
Over 20 per cent of fans say they can’t get enough and watch more than ten games a month – although there is a loyal cohort of fans (18 per cent) who will only tune in to watch their beloved team play.
Fraser Stirling, Group Chief Product Officer, Sky, said: “From a lifelike mural of the league’s best players in the streets of Tottenham, to broadcasting the Premier League live in HDR on Sky Q , we're bringing you even closer to the action. For fans of the beautiful game, watching in Ultra HD with HDR is the ideal viewing experience for best picture quality, right in the heart of your home.”
Jody Thomas, the street artist who brought this creative painting of Pickford, Shaw and Sterling to life, added: “This summer we saw how football has the fantastic power to bring people together – sharing each other’s passion for the sport is really special! Seeing the fans get up close and personal with the nation’s favourite players, with my latest mural for Sky Q, has been amazing.”
The research also revealed that fans believe former Manchester United winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, is the greatest player to grace the Premier League, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in second place and the league’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer in third, followed by David Beckham in fourth and Eric Cantona, fifth. Cantona was also named the league’s most charismatic player of all time ahead of England legend, Paul Gascoigne, and Peter Crouch, famed for his robot celebration and stunning aerial ability.
To enjoy Sky Q’s live Ultra HD with HDR Premier League coverage, fans will need a Sky Sports or Sky Sports Football subscription, plus Sky’s ‘Ultra HD + HD’ TV Extra that includes HDR as standard. Then simply press the red button during the game to watch in Ultra HDR.
To find out more and to sign up to Sky Q from £25 per month on an 18-month contract, head to sky.com/tv.
See download table for content:
Notes to editors
- What is HDR (High Dynamic Range)? It improves your TVs’ matchday performance by increasing the broadcast’s contrast range. Delivering the brightest whites and the darkest blacks, as well as offering all the best true-to-life and vibrant colours possible. The effect is a viewing experience that brings the passion, vibrancy and the atmosphere of the country’s greatest grounds to your living room. The mural in Tottenham was commissioned to give passers-by a taste of this action.
- To get HDR on Sky Q you need: a compatible HDR TV - HDR HLG TV, a HDR ready Sky Q box and Ultra HD + HD or Q Experiencesubscriptions.
- If you can’t get HDR but have an Ultra HD subscription, you’ll still be able to watch in Ultra HD with SDR (Standard Dynamic Range).
- T&Cs apply for Ultra HD offer see Sky.com for details.
- Over 100 games of the Premier League will be available in Ultra HDR
The study, conducted by OnePoll, asked 2,000 football fans about their favourite players, managers, fixtures and footballing habits.
TOP 10 FANS’ FAVOURITE ENGLAND PLAYERS FROM EURO 2020
- Raheem Sterling
- Luke Shaw
- Jordan Pickford
- Jack Grealish
- Harry Maguire
- Harry Kane
- Bukayo Saka
- Kalvin Phillips
- Declan Rice
- Marcus Rashford
TOP 10 PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS OF ALL TIME
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Thierry Henry
- Alan Shearer
- David Beckham
- Eric Cantona
- Peter Schmeichel
- Steven Gerrard
- Kevin de Bruyne
- Ryan Giggs
- Wayne Rooney
TOP 10 MOST CHARISMATIC AND INTERESTING PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS AND MANAGERS OF ALL TIME
- Eric Cantona
- Harry Redknapp
- Paul Gascoigne
- Alex Ferguson
- Peter Crouch
- David Beckham
- Jurgen Klopp
- Thierry Henry
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Alan Shearer
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