TV viewers in the US will get to see the BBC natural history series Planet Earth II in 4K from this weekend after a deal was struck with satellite provider Dish Network.

Starting on 18 February, each episode of the 6 x 50-minute series will be made available on a dedicated channel to Dish customers who own a Hopper 3 digital video recorder or a 4K Joey receiver connected to a Hopper 3.

Planet Earth II will also be available in HD on BBC America, AMC and SundanceTV.

Dish chief technology officer Vivek Khemka said: “We’ve heard our customers ask for more 4K content, so we’re making every effort to deliver this programming as its availability grows.”

Other than short clips made available via iPlayer, Planet Earth II is yet to be broadcast in 4K in the UK, but a UHD Blu-ray of the series will be released in March.

BBC UHD content is funded through BBC Worldwide or as a co-production.