Best TVs for watching sports (AV guide 2024)

The best TVs for watching sports are not necessarily the best TVs for HDR movies and free-to-air/digital TV. We help you get the one for sport!

Conversely, the best TVs for watching movies are also great for sports, with one important difference. Most sports are not transmitted in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range), so HDR10/10+/Dolby Vision is not a prerequisite.

What is sport, and why is it different to normal TV?

When you think of sport, most immediately think of the footy (all codes). Some think cricket or golf. Add hockey, basketball, baseball, equestrian, rowing, sailing, and swimming. Let’s not forget motorsport and horse racing. There is a whole menagerie – no wonder Kayo is booming.

There is one key difference from movies and TV, where you passively enjoy the content. In sports, you are an active spectator, and the aim is to draw you into the game—to impart some of the atmosphere, excitement, elation, and disappointment to feed your inner sportsperson.

In short, broadcast sport is about making you part of the crowd, as if you were there. Advertisers know that, too, and pay a premium to reach you with carefully crafted, psychologically appropriate messages. Have you ever felt like a Tooheys or two or smacked down a VB while demolishing Smith’s crisps?

How do great sports broadcasts do that?

Cameras and commentary are key. There are stump cams, goal cams, audience cams, dressing room cams, sideline cams, overhead cams, under cams, roof cams, drone cams, helmet cams, and so many more. The 2024 US Superbowl has 165 cameras and a vast team of directors to create one real-time show.

In Australia, locally televised matches have at least 12 cameras covering play, three outside the venue, six in dressing rooms/coach boxes, and many more covering the crowd, entertainment, etc. FreeTV Australia has an interesting article about the use of cameras at the footy.

FIFA uses 42 cameras

I Sportsbet you did not know that.

Commentary – it is your mate talking to you

Successful sports commentators have a wealth of knowledge—more than any fan may have. They also need to be conversational with a sense of authority. It is if your mate in the seat next to you is calling/explaining the game. This means different mics, noise reduction from other sources, and a bank of monitors showing the live feeds. The commentator is the orchestra conductor.

TVs for watching sports

You could say he keeps TABs on the action. OK, to the TVs that work best.

Sports broadcasts are different

Time of day

Many broadcast sports are played during the day, which usually means they are watched in daylight. You need a TV with enough brightness (SDR full screen sustained 500 nits) and good ambient light reflection handling to overcome bright rooms. That means lots of nits and a good matte screen!

Lots of colour

Most sports have large single-colour areas, like the oval, pitch, golf course, etc. This means a good, even backlight and multiple dimming zones, or you see stripes and patchy colours. Look for at least a Full Array of Local Dimming (older LCD technology); some full-backlit IPS mini-LEDs and all OLEDs are the best. Do not buy an edge-lit or direct-lit TV, as these cannot produce decent blacks and accurate colours.

Watch with friends

If you watch sports with family or friends, the TV must have a wide viewing angle (field-of-view) so people seated to the sides of the screen don’t see a drastically degraded image. That means IPS panel LED (150-160°) and OLED (almost 180°). Avoid VA screens as these are seldom capable of more than 120°. Do not believe any VA specification sheet that says +/-178°. How do you know if it is VA – walk side to side and see if the colour changes and the image washes out. VA also usually claims >3000:1 contrast where IPS is <3000:1.

The centre of the TV should be at your seated eye height. Below is the ideal seating distance for a 4K TV to see the crispest image. Any closer, you may start to see pixelation (graininess), and further, you may see colour degradation.

SizeIdeal seating distance
50”2.13m
55”2.29m
60”2.59m
70”3.05m
80”3.35m
853.36m
The two viewers at each side will suffer loss of colour and washed out images with VA panels.

Follow fast action

If you watch a lot of fast-action sports, then Motion Smoothing can help. You don’t need it for the footy, but car racing can look blurry. The key here is a fast processor with a quick <10ms response time, great upscale, and motion smoothing.

Size is not important, yeah, nah

You know the least important aspect of a sports TV is size! Most people buy the biggest TV they can afford. That usually means a big, cheap VA, an edge-lit monster insulting to a videophile’s eyes.

The final ingredient – exhilarating sound

Sound is 50% of the viewing experience. Sports are generally transmitted as SDR (occasionally HDR) and up to 5.1 surround (rarely HDR10+/Dolby Vision/Atmos). Often, the commentary will take one or two of the sound channels to ensure it is clear and distinguishable from the gameplay.

 No matter how good the TV’s sound object tracking, sports are too fast to accurately marry the action with the sound. TV sound cannot ‘put you there’.

Frankly, every TV we have ever reviewed needs a decent surround sound soundbar capable of 5.1 or 7.1 surround and with a clear voice/dialogue setting. These days, the better Dolby Atmos soundbars can take that surround sound and upmix it to add some 3D spatial effect—as if you were there. Even better are those with dedicated rear forward-and-up-firing speakers 5.1.4 or 7.1.4. The sub-woofer adds to the excitement, with room-shaking cheers.

Summary – The best TVs for watching sports

  • OLED is best followed by IPS (not VA) Mini-LED.
  • Make sure you sit at the correct distance/height from the screen
  • Size is the least important aspect
  • Get at least a 5.1 soundbar, preferably a 5.1.4 or higher Dolby Atmos soundbar.
  • Select sports settings on the TV and soundbar.

Best TVs for watching sports 2024

Panel types and specifications are from Display Specifications and may vary by model and country. These are models listed on the manufacturers’ AU websites.

It is not that VA panels offer inferior image quality. It is simply the off-angle viewing loss of colour and quality issue, and if that is no concern to you, then buy a VA panel.

LG

LG (LG OLED is perfect for all TV genres and supports Dolby Vision and Atmos)

QNED (TSA 2024 models)

  • OK: QNED81—55, 65, 75, 85 IPS Edge-Lit
  • OK: QNED86—55, 65, 75, and 85 IPS Edge-Lit
  • Good: QNED91—Some countries get IPS panels for 65, 75, and 85—check with the salesperson.

Samsung

Many of Samsung’s TVs use edge-lit VA panels, including its Frame, Serif, some QLED, and all Crystal UHD. Its QD-OLED TVs offer outstanding colour and brightness but don’t support Dolby Vision for movies.

QD-OLED

  • Good: S90C (2023 model)
  • Better: S90D
  • Best: S95D with an excellent anti-glare screen

Mini-LED (Neo QLED)

QLED

Some models use IPS in specific screen sizes.

  • Q80C (2023) 55, 65, 75” may use IPS, but please check with the salesperson
  • Q70D – all sizes are VA Edge-lit
  • QE1D – all sizes are VA Edge-lit

TCL

All 2024 TCL mini-LEDs use VA panels. It has no OLED TVs at this time.

Hisense

 Sony

All Sony Bravia 9 and 7 are VA panels.

  • Best: Bravia 8 OLED (we think this is evo OLED)

The best soundbars for listening to sports

An all-in-one soundbar will have very front-centric sound – no surround or feeling of being there. These are all Dolby Atmos capable and will upmix surround sound to faux DA.

Good

Better

Best

Ultimate

TVs for watching sports

Want to know more?

TVs for watching sports

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