- Peacock will stream Telemundo’s World Cup coverage with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos in AC-4
- Dolby AC-4 codec promises higher sound quality than current streaming codecs
- All 104 matches will be covered
Last month we reported on a blind test that says Dolby’s new-generation AC-4 audio codec sounds as good as 4K Blu-ray even at a low streaming bitrate. And now you can hear it as the soundtrack to the World Cup — if you have the right tech and subscriptions.
Dolby and NBCUniversal have teamed up to deliver a world first. Telemundo’s live Spanish-language FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage will be streamed on Peacock in Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos using the AC-4 codec — according to Dolby, this is “the first commercial deployment of Dolby AC-4 by a video streamer.”
All 104 matches will be broadcast using the technology, the first time it’s been used for a major sporting event. It’s also the first time the technology has been used by a major streaming service.
(If Spanish-language commentary isn’t your thing, you might be interested in Samsung’s latest TVs and their AI Soccer Mode, which enables you to remove the commentary entirely while keeping the crowd noise — we tested two affordable Samsung 2026 mini-LEDs here.)
Why this World Cup will sound like the future
Sound quality is one area where streaming can be disappointing. The audio codecs used by the major streaming services can’t rival the quality of a 4K Blu-yay disc’s soundtrack because their audio is too compressed.
AC-4 is more modern, and delivers much higher quality at the same bitrates, and in the double-blind listening test I referenced above, multiple audio pros couldn’t tell the difference between AC-4 audio and uncompressed audio. It’s up to 50% more efficient than current codecs, apparently.
The use of Atmos with AC-4 means the sound of these World Cup matches should be even more atmospheric, so if you’ve got a decent speaker setup or one of the best soundbars, it’ll be even more fun to hear.
I’m not sure it’ll be 100% as “vivid and electrifying as if you are sitting front row for each match without stadium prices” as the marketing blurb claims, but better dyanamic range with Dolby’s spatial audio tech should mean it feels genuinely more immersive.
Dolby and NBCUniversal’s engineers have spent a year working together to bring Dolby Vision to live sports, and according to NBCUniversal’s senior vice president of global video engineering, David Bohunek, “Fútbol fans will love watching Telemundo’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on Peacock in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos with Dolby AC-4 — it’ll be a truly stunning viewing experience they can’t get anywhere else.”
Of course, you’ll need to be both a Peacock subscriber and using a TV with support for AC-4 in order to get the full effect. Dolby says that support in TVs is pretty widespread these days, and lists the following partners: “LG, Panasonic, Sony, TCL, Samsung, Sharp, Vantiva, Bang & Olufsen, Hisense, Huawei, Humax, Sagemcom, Skyworth/Strong, SEI Robotics, Innopia, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Liberty Global, Sunrise, SES HD+, Sky, Swisscom, Zattoo, Waipu.tv, PŸUR, Ocilion, Austrostream, TPVision, Vizio, Philips, Kaon, Winston Neweb”.
Naturally, you’ll to check if your particular devices supports it, using the manufacturer’s website (or, more likely, Google).
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