Don’t Pay for YouTube TV’s 4K Upgrade – Get 4K Free With This Sneaky Workaround

YouTube TV is one of the live TV providers that doesn’t give you free 4K with your subscription. (Sling TV and DIRECTV offer 4K in their base plans.) To access 4K with YouTube TV, you have to add the 4K Plus option. That is free for 30 days, but then costs $4.99 for the next 12 months before jumping to $9.99.

One of the unfortunate facts about 4K is that there aren’t a lot of broadcasts worthy of the high-resolution format. Right now, 4K is most useful for sports. But only NBC and FOX have 4K sporting events. And the great thing is that you can watch FOX 4K broadcasts at no extra charge. Here’s how.

Download the Fox Sports App

On your smart TV or 4K-compatible streaming device, go to your app store (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, etc.) and download the Fox Sports App.

Open it up.

Go to Settings > My Account > Link My TV Provider

When you click that button, your TV screen will change to provide a code. You have the option of scanning the QR code with your phone or going to https://go.foxsports.com/activate to enter the 4 digit code provided.

Enter Your Code

Just type the code from your TV screen into this box and hit Submit.

Select Your TV Provider

This workaround will give you 4K broadcasts with any live TV provider that carries FOX. Even Hulu + Live TV, that doesn’t have 4K, will work. Choose your provider and click the icon. If you don’t see it, use the search box to find your TV provider.

At this point, you’ll be redirected to your TV provider’s website. Log in. When you do that, the Fox Sports app will refresh and you’ll have access!

Watch Free 4K Sports in the Fox Sports App

Now, whenever there’s a 4K event broadcast on FOX of FS1, instead of watching with your TV provider (like YouTube TV), just open the Fox Sports App and you’ll get the game in much higher resolution!

Watching a game through YouTube TV normally limits you to 1080p (2 million pixels). But if you use the Fox Sports App for this workaround, you’ll see the games 4 times clearer (8 million pixels)!

While this workaround won’t help you with 4K programs from other channels like NBC or FX, access to the Fox family of sports channels will cover quite a lot. Happy streaming!

What Do You Need to Watch a 4K Broadcast?

To watch 4K, you need to make sure you have 4K-enabled options through the entire chain.

Do You Have a Streaming Service That is Sending You 4K?

For live TV, Sling TV and DIRECTV give it to you free. YouTube TV and Fubo provide it at an upcharge. Hulu + Live TV, Philo, and Frndly TV do not offer 4K. The Fox Sports app does send a 4K signal when available.

Other on-demand providers offer 4K, but you usually have to pay extra. These include Netflix, HBO Max, and Peacock.

Also remember that 4K is still somewhat rare, especially for live TV. CBS and ABC don’t broadcast anything in 4K. Just because you have a service that offers 4K doesn’t mean what you’re watching has a 4K signal. You’ll usually see it signified with an icon on the show or movie’s home screen.

Do You Have a 4K TV?

In order to see 4K broadcasts, you need a TV capable of showing you that resolution. While most TVs you may buy today do have 4K, not all are equipped. If you have an older TV, you may be limited to 1080p or 720p.

If You Have a Streaming Device, is it Rated 4K?

I love my Apple TV, but I don’t have the 4K version. That means everything flowing through it (even a 4K signal) is getting downgraded. So even if I have a 4K TV and 4K-capable streaming service, that box would prevent 4K from coming through.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive 4K streaming device, Roku offers some excellent, user-friendly devices like the Streaming Stick Plus. It’s a great choice if you have children or older relatives because the remote is so intuitive.