Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding to be broadcast live in 4K UHD by Sky

4K UHD TV sales could enjoy a royal boost, with the news that Sky will be broadcasting the Royal Wedding live on Sky News exclusively in Ultra HD, on its Sky Q platform. The broadcaster is pulling out all the stops for the event, deploying around 110 cameras and 160 technical staff to cover the event. The coup could also stoke huge interest in Sky Q subscriptions.

Coverage will start at 9:00am on Saturday May19, and will be simulcast on Sky One

The Sky News app will also be providing a new feature: ‘Royal Wedding: Who’s Who Live’. The app function uses new software to name wedding guests as they arrive and detail their connection to the Royal couple. For this Sky News has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and two AWS technology partners, GrayMeta and UI Centric.

“Sky continuously searches for ways to innovate and bring better coverage to its customers, “ David Gibbs, Director of Digital News and Sports Products. This new functionality allows Royal Wedding viewers greater insight into one of the biggest live events of the year, wherever they are. We’re excited by the software’s potential and ability to give audiences new ways of consuming content”.

“We’re incredibly excited to be the first and only broadcaster to televise a Royal Wedding in UHD and to offer those watching the ceremony across the country expert analysis, innovative technology and bespoke coverage on mobile,” enthuses John Ryley, Head of Sky News.

In 1953, the Queen’s Coronation sparked a rush in sales for black and white televisions. Upwards of 20 million people watched the service live.