MLB Network and DIRECTV were recipients of the prestigious George Wensel Technical Achievement Award at the 38th Annual Sports Emmy Awards last night for the 2016 MLB Network Showcase 4K/HD dualcast. More than 20 MLB game telecasts were presented to DIRECTV customers throughout the 2016 Major League Baseball season in 4K Ultra High Definition and marked the first-ever live 4K UHD telecast of MLB games in the United States.
"AT&T Entertainment Group is honored to receive this award and we are pleased that we were able to work with MLB Network to achieve this," said John Ward, senior vice president of Content Operations, AT&T Entertainment Group. "To be mentioned in the same breath as George Wensel is an honor in itself given his contributions and legacy in our industry. This acknowledges a giant effort from the Engineering, Content, and Operations teams at AT&T as we continue to drive customer engagement with the development of new technologies."
"We're honored to receive this award alongside DIRECTV, who has been an industry leader and innovator in championing the introduction of UltraHD to American viewers," said MLB Network SVP Operations and Engineering Susan Stone. "George Wensel was a giant in our industry, and we're proud for MLB Network Showcase to be recognized with an award in his honor."
MLB Network and DIRECTV are currently in the second season of their MLB Network Showcase 4K dualcast, having produced five telecasts so far in 2017 MLB regular season. The next MLB Network Showcase telecast features the Houston Astros visiting the New York Yankees called by MLB Network's Bob Costas, Hall of Famer John Smoltz andTom Verducci this Thursday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET.