It’s almost February, which means the biggest spectacle in football is just around the corner. Played during a pandemic, however, Super Bowl LV will be a lot different than the 54 Super Bowl games that came before it. The good news is, you don’t need a cable subscription to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Buffalo Bills on February 7.
If you do have cable, the Super Bowl is broadcast on CBS this year, kicking off at 6:3o pm ET on Sunday, February 7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. For those of us who cut the cord long ago and prefer to stream live events, here’s how you can watch Super Bowl 2021 and all the associated formalities, such as Media Day.
Stream via CBS for free
The CBS family of apps has rights to the Super Bowl this year, but luckily you can stream the game for free with the regular CBS app on your connected device. CBS All-Access will also be showing the game, but requires a subscription. If you’re looking to watch the game in Spanish, ESPN Deportes will be broadcasting it on TV, as well as on its app for free. There’s also the possibility of watching the game on Hulu Live or FuboTV—both of which offer free seven-day trials but cost a monthly fee after that.
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The NFL will also be streaming the game on its own app, but might not be a necessary download if you aren’t already a rabid football fan.
Virtual media day
Given the reality of COVID-19, much of the usual hype and pageantry will be missing from the Super Bowl. Usually, media day takes place the Monday before the game—meaning that if we were living under normal circumstances, the media gaggle would be descending upon players and coaches today.
ESPN reports that there will be a virtual media day of sorts, but it will be far more subdued than usual and most likely resemble a standard press conference. The teams also won’t be flying in until the Friday before the game. In a typical situation, they’re usually in town holding court at a team hotel for a week in advance of the festivities.
There will still be entertainment
It isn’t the Super Bowl without headline entertainment, and the Weeknd is this year’s halftime performer. It’ll be odd, given that the NFL will undoubtedly try to create the standard stadium-rock atmosphere worthy of a superstar, albeit with social distancing in mind.
The Weeknd—real name Abel Tesfaye—will play at halftime, while country singer Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan will perform the National Anthem prior to the game. The singer H.E.R. will also sing “America The Beautiful,” before the game.
The show will go on, even despite the gloomy circumstances around the country and beyond. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is also 43 years old and making his tenth Super Bowl appearance, which is something that announcers will be ooh-ing and awing at, no matter what service you choose to stream.
