How to stream the Super Bowl if you don’t have cable
If you want to watch Sunday’s Super Bowl but don’t pay for cable or satellite TV, I’ll walk you through your options.
(Easiest choice: Pay for Paramount Plus.)
But sports fans need to prepare themselves to pay a lot more for streaming. Soon you could be staring at $50 a month for a collection of some events like March Madness and Monday Night Football.
[Read about the Super Bowl matchup, the commercials and Taylor Swift.]
P.S. The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.
- - -
The best choice that isn’t free (but could be): Paramount Plus
One of America’s least-popular major streaming sites is the official spot to stream the Super Bowl. Paramount Plus costs $5.99 a month or $11.99 for a version with extras and limited commercials.
Both options will have the game, halftime show and the major commercials.
I’m not saying you should do this, but you could sign up for a Paramount Plus subscription and cancel within the seven-day window for free trials. (There’s a free month with the coupon code JUNE.)
If you go that route, set a reminder on your phone to cancel your subscription on Monday before you’re charged. Set a reminder right now! Before you forget! That’s how they get you.
Make sure the Paramount Plus app works on your TV or other device on which you plan to stream the game: check support.paramountplus.com.
You can also stream the Super Bowl on ViX Premium from Spanish-language TV channel Univision. It costs $6.99 a month in the United States.
You can check to see if you already have a subscription to Paramount Plus or ViX Premium through your mobile phone provider. Walmart Plus club members also have access to Paramount Plus for no additional charge.
You might want a backup plan. Some people complain that Paramount Plus is glitch-prone. And it’s untested whether the site will hold up to a bunch of people streaming the Super Bowl.
- - -
What about streaming on CBS.com?
No.
The Super Bowl is airing on CBS television channels, but you must have a password for a cable or satellite TV service to stream the game on CBS.com.
- - -
The best choice for total cheapskates
Maybe listening to a football game isn’t ideal. But it’s free.
You can stream radio network Westwood One’s Super Bowl broadcast.
Some local radio stations will air and stream the game, too, including iHeart stations in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle and Cincinnati.
Also free: Go to a buddy’s house and mooch off them.
- - -
The best choice if you’re old school
If you have a TV but not cable, you can plug an antenna into your set and pick up the Super Bowl on your local CBS station, as the Neanderthals did.
Wirecutter recommended a plug-in TV antenna from Best Buy Essentials that lists for $20.
If you pick this option, make sure you can pull in a clear picture from the CBS station before you have a house full of guests juggling plates of nachos. (Sidebar: Nacho recipes!)
You also might pick up the CBS broadcast without an antenna. Again, test it before Sunday.
- - -
Good (but pricey) options for sports nuts
Streaming services that are like cable TV but accessed online have a buffet of options for sports die-hards, including the Super Bowl.
YouTube TV: I saw a promotion for $62.99 a month for the first three months for newcomers. It’s $72.99 a month after that.
Hulu Live TV: Starts at $75.99 a month, or pay more to add Hulu, Disney Plus or ESPN Plus. (Hulu’s Super Bowl FAQs: help.hulu.com/s/article/super-bowl.)
Fubo: Monthly subscriptions start at $79.99.
Find CBS, Nickelodeon or Univision on these services.
Before you sign up, check the relevant help pages at YouTube TV, Hulu or Fubo to make sure their apps are available for your TV or other devices on which you plan to stream.
If you’re wondering about Sling TV, it doesn’t have access to CBS. So no Super Bowl.
- - -
If you’re cool watching only on your phone
The Super Bowl is also available on the NFL Plus streaming service but only to watch on your phone or tablet. The monthly cost is $6.99 and up.
- - -
Prepare to pay more
For many sports fans, you have more options to watch games over streaming than ever before. But it’ll cost you.
A soccer-loving colleague signed up for YouTube TV, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Apple TV Plus and Apple’s Major League Soccer add-on subscription in part to watch matches from multiple leagues.
This could be your future.
Three big TV companies are teaming up to make more live sports such as some March Madness basketball games and ESPN’s college football playoffs available on a new streaming service. CNBC reported the subscription could cost $50 a month and exclude many NFL games.
Related Content
An overlooked Maui community realizes ‘no one is coming to save you’
Mattis secretly advised Arab monarch on Yemen war, records show
Back to the wall, Alejandro Mayorkas tries to build a border legacy
