Best TV for Watching Sports

There are various TV types available, each offering different trade-offs. Some TVs may be less expensive but don't look as good, while others deliver amazing picture quality at a higher cost.

This article explains which factors to consider when choosing a TV for watching sports and breaks down the key qualities to evaluate for your new sports-viewing setup.

The best type of TV for watching sports is an OLED TV.

OLED TVs offer excellent refresh rates and response times, along with outstanding color accuracy and perfect black levels, making OLED TVs the best display type for watching sports. Below, I explain why these qualities matter when watching sports.

Find the best OLED TVs: My Recommended OLED TVs for Watching Sports.

While OLED TVs are ultimately the best choice for watching sports, you may be looking for a more affordable option.

QLED TVs are an excellent alternative since they also handle motion well while costing significantly less. However, choosing a QLED over an OLED TV involves some trade-offs, including lower contrast ratios, slower response times, potential light bleed, and narrower viewing angles.

Find the best QLED TVs: My Recommended QLED TVs for Watching Sports.

Since most people watch sports in group settings, wide viewing angles are essential if many people will be watching with you. If you'll be watching alone or with a few people directly in front of the TV, viewing angle is less critical.

Wide viewing angles allow you to see optimal brightness, colors, and contrast even when viewing the TV from off-center positions. If you're viewing your TV straight-on, viewing angles won't matter as much.

OLED TVs have the best viewing angles, averaging around 70 degrees from center, where center means you're directly in front of the screen. You won't notice any difference in colors or brightness at most viewing angles with an OLED TV.

LCD displays like QLED TVs have an average viewing angle of around 20-40 degrees from center. You'll notice washed-out blacks and colors along with brightness loss starting at lesser angles (10-20 degrees), which increases as you move farther from center.

The narrow viewing angle is due to the backlight projecting through the LCD panel. Like viewing a bedroom light from outside a house, the light is most visible from certain angles.

If you want more flexibility in your viewing position, an OLED TV is the better choice since it doesn't use a backlight.

Viewing Angle

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Good
MicroLED	Excellent

For watching sports, bigger is better, especially if you're sitting farther away in a group setting. I recommend getting at least a 65-inch or larger TV. A larger screen makes it easier to see all the players on the field and creates a more immersive stadium-like experience.

If you're watching from a closer distance, such as in a small living room, a smaller TV will work well.

When buying a TV for watching sports, the most important considerations are excellent refresh rate and response time. These two factors determine how well a TV handles motion. Lower response times and higher refresh rates produce better results.

High refresh rates reduce motion blur and create smoother animations, while low response times prevent ghosting during quick movements.

Response Time

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

Response time is how long it takes a display to change from one color to another, typically measured by transitions between white and black. The timing is measured in milliseconds, with lower values being better.

OLED TVs have a response time of around 0.2 ms for 80% of color transitions and 2-3 ms for the remaining transitions. A display should ideally have 6 ms or less response time, and OLED TVs far exceed this standard, making them among the best displays for response time.

In comparison, Samsung QLED TVs have a response time of around 3-6 ms for 80% of color transitions and 9-17 ms for the remaining transitions.

Refresh rate is the number of times per second the display redraws the screen. Refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), defined as one cycle per second. For example, 60 Hz refreshes the screen 60 times per second. A good refresh rate for sports viewing ranges from 120 Hz to 240 Hz and above.

Both QLED and OLED displays typically offer 120 Hz refresh rates but can reach higher in newer models, which is more than adequate for sports and video games.

If you'll be watching sports in daylight or a brightly lit room, choose a TV that handles higher brightness levels. TV brightness matters most in bright lighting conditions since it must compete with ambient light. For example, in a well-lit living room or family room, you'll want a TV with excellent brightness.

QLED and MicroLED TVs have the best brightness levels. Most QLED TVs produce 1,000 to 2,000 nits of brightness and can reach 4,000 nits. In comparison, most other TV types typically don't reach 1,000 nits.

A nit is a measurement of the amount of light a TV produces within a given area. The higher the nit count, the brighter your TV can display.

Peak Brightness

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Moderate
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

The downside of TVs with high peak brightness is that they can sometimes exhibit light bleed. Light bleed, or backlight bleed, is most noticeable during nighttime viewing or in rooms with low ambient light. If you're placing your TV in a dark room, choose a model with minimal light bleed.

You can learn more about backlight bleed in LED TVs.

Backlight Bleed

LED	Yes
QLED	Yes
OLED	No
Mini-LED	Minimal
MicroLED	No

Excellent color accuracy determines whether you'll see the best and most naturally vivid images on your screen. Watching sports on a TV with great color accuracy helps immerse you in the game.

OLED and QLED displays are known for excellent color accuracy and vibrancy even at wider viewing angles.

OLED TVs have an average of 95-99% color gamut and 80-85% color volume.

Samsung QLED TVs have an average of 84-94% color gamut and 73-90% color volume.

Standard LED TVs have widely varying color volume and color gamut but are moderately lower on average compared to QLED and OLED displays.

TVs are sometimes advertised as having 100% color volume despite not actually reaching those levels. However, you won't notice a significant difference with OLED TVs or high-end QLED TVs since both can deliver excellent color accuracy when properly calibrated and manufactured to high quality standards.

Color Accuracy

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

High-dynamic-range (HDR) can enhance your picture by expanding the contrast ratio and color range to create a more realistic, natural image. However, the sports content you watch must support HDR for the best experience; otherwise, HDR isn't as beneficial.

Watching HDR-supported content will result in brighter highlights, deeper shadows, more accurate and natural colors, and a sharper image.

OLED displays have high color volume and color gamut with a near-perfect contrast ratio, all of which are ideal for HDR. Despite HDR typically requiring higher brightness levels, OLEDs produce stunning HDR scenes because of their extreme contrast ratio. Due to their lower brightness levels compared to QLED, it's best to view HDR content in lower ambient light during evening hours.

Samsung QLED displays have high color volume, good contrast ratios, and 1,000+ nits of brightness, all of which are also recommended for HDR. OLED TVs still perform better for HDR content due to their true black levels.

Standard LED TVs are typically not recommended for viewing HDR content optimally but can still display it, just not as effectively as OLED or QLED TVs.

Contrast Ratio

LED	3K-6K:1
QLED	4K-8K:1
OLED	Infinite
Mini-LED	10K-100K:1
MicroLED	Infinite

For the best sports-watching experience, you'll want a 4K TV. Higher resolution produces a crisper picture, provided the content you're displaying matches that resolution. Many 4K TVs include upscaling features that can enhance lower-resolution content.

4K resolution is currently the most popular standard. While 8K offers the best resolution overall, most content doesn't support that high of a resolution yet, making 4K more than sufficient for current needs.

Most modern TVs feature 4K resolution, with only a few budget models offering lower resolutions.

You can learn more about TV resolution.

TV Resolutions

	Resolution
8K UHD (Ultra HD)	7680 x 4320
4K UHD (Ultra HD)	3840 x 2160
1440p / QHD (Quad HD)	2560 x 1440
1080p / FHD (Full HD)	1920 x 1080
720p / HD (High Definition)	1280 x 720

TV Resolution Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

True black levels are less crucial for watching sports and matter more when watching movies. True blacks make images more accurate by displaying dark areas as genuine black instead of gray. Good black levels help demonstrate a TV's ability to handle contrast between bright and dark parts of a scene. While you don't necessarily need perfect blacks for sports, which are typically well-lit, they can improve contrast and create a more immersive viewing experience.

Poor black levels result in a lack of true black in outer space scenes, dark indoor shots, and end credits. Instead, blacks appear more gray. Poor contrast can create that washed-out look in scenes with both bright and dark elements.

The dark colors provided by good black levels are less visible when watching TV in daylight or bright rooms. Good black levels are most noticeable in dimly lit environments like a dark family room, bedroom, or home theater.

OLED displays have perfect black levels. The deep blacks are a key benefit of OLED displays not having an LCD backlight like QLED and LED TVs. QLED and LED TVs display more of a dark gray instead of true pitch black.

Black Levels

LED	Limited
QLED	Limited
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

OLED Contrast Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

In the table below, you can compare the different qualities of each type of display.

TV Type Comparison

	LED	QLED	OLED	Mini-LED	MicroLED
Viewing Angle	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Black Levels	Limited	Limited	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Color Accuracy	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Burn-in Risk	No	No	Yes	No	Minimal
Peak Brightness	Good	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Excellent
Lifespan	60K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours
Contrast Ratio	3K-6K:1	4K-8K:1	Infinite	10K-100K:1	Infinite
Response Time	Good	Good	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Backlight Bleed	Yes	Yes	No	Minimal	No
Price Range	$	$$	$$$	$$$$	$$$$$

• This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports, or as a PC monitor.
• Fast refresh rates reduce motion blur and make animations smoother.
• This TV has wide viewing angles, perfect for many people watching TV together (like most OLED TVs).
• It has an extreme contrast ratio capable of producing pitch-black scenes without suffering from blooming.
• This TV offers improved brightness compared to previous generations, making it suitable for most room lighting conditions.
• This has the fastest response time for smooth fast-moving content, great for games or sports.
• The LG C5 OLED TV also supports very low input lag and variable refresh rate, both of which are also needed for gaming.
• It's superb for HDR content due to its extreme contrast ratio and wide color gamut.
• Check the latest price of the LG C5 OLED TV on Amazon

• This TV has superb picture quality with an extreme contrast ratio, perfect for your home theater room.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has excellent color out of the box, so there's no need for color calibration.
• This TV offers improved brightness performance, making it suitable for various room lighting conditions.
• This TV has Google TV built-in, allowing you to watch from most of your streaming services quickly and smoothly.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has very low input lag and quick response time, both of which are excellent for sports and gaming.
• Check the latest price of the Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV on Amazon

• This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports or as a PC monitor.
• It's the "Neo" QLED variant, which has an excellent contrast ratio and deep blacks.
• This will also work great in a bright room.
• The Samsung QN90B Neo QLED also supports low input lag, variable refresh rate, and fast response time, all of which are needed for gaming.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung QN90B Neo QLED on Amazon

• This is an excellent Neo QLED TV variant for use in bright rooms while having fantastic response time, low input lag, and vivid natural colors.
• The Samsung QN85B QLED has wide viewing angles and high brightness to overcome screen glare.
• It's superb for HDR content due to its high brightness and wide color gamut.
• A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung QN85B QLED on Amazon

• Great for watching sports or TV shows together with family and friends due to the wide viewing angles while keeping accurate colors.
• It's also quick enough for gaming and great for using as a PC monitor.
• A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B and lower local dimming compared to both TVs mentioned above.
• This TV also has high brightness for HDR along with wide viewing angles.
• Check the latest price of the Samsung Q80B QLED on Amazon

Want to learn more about OLED TVs? Check out the articles in my OLED TV series:

• Ultimate Guide to OLED TVs.
• Are OLED TVs Good for Gaming?
• Do OLED TVs Have Good Viewing Angles?
• What Is the Response Time of an OLED TV?
• Do OLED TVs Have True Black Levels?
• How Bright Are OLED TVs Compared to Other TVs?
• What Is the Refresh Rate of an OLED TV?

Want to learn more about TVs? Check out the articles in my TV series:

• Best TV Display Types
• TV Resolution Explained - 8K UHD vs. 4K vs. QHD vs. FHD
• Choosing the Best TV for Your Room
• Best TV for Playing PlayStation 5 Games
• What Type of TV Is Best for Gaming?
• Ultimate Guide to Samsung QLED TVs
• Best Type of TV for Bright Rooms
• What Type of TV Has the Best Refresh Rate & Response Time?
• What Type of TV Has the Best Viewing Angle?
• Do LED TVs Have Backlight Bleed?
• How to choose the best soundbar for your TV