Skip to main content

NBC will live stream the Super Bowl for free

New England Patriots v Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Super Bowl XLIX pits the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots, and NBC wants everyone to stream along. Today, NBC announced it will live stream Super Bowl XLIX, followed by the next episode of its hit show The Blacklist, online for free to anyone with an Internet connection, no pay-TV subscription required.

The 11-hour stream will include the pre-game, post-game, half-time show and, of course, the main Super Bowl event via NBC.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app on PCs and tablets — sorry, no smartphone access this year.

Recommended Videos

Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz will help make history by performing in the first Super Bowl halftime show that NBC live streams online. That’s notable, as the halftime show has recently grown to exceed the game itself in terms of viewership. Last year, Bruno Mars’ halftime show performance attracted a record 115.3 million viewers compared to the game’s average of 111.5 million viewers.

The Blacklist returns after a near 3-month hiatus for its two-part season premiere, and will be live streamed at NBC.com as well. “We are leveraging the massive digital reach of the Super Bowl to help raise overall awareness of TV Everywhere by allowing consumers to explore our vast TVE offering with this special one-day-only access,” said Alison Moore, GM and EVP, TV Everywhere for NBCUniversal, in a statement.

NBC offered the first ever online live stream of the Super Bowl in 2012 for Super Bowl XLVI and attracted 2.1 million viewers with an average audience of 346,000 concurrent streams. This time will be a bit different, as Super Bowl XLIX will be the first Super Bowl under the eight-year TV rights deal with the NFL that begun this season. Unlike NBC’s live stream of Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, this year’s big game will not stream over mobile devices. Verizon signed a 4-year/$1 billion deal with the NFL and has exclusive mobile streaming rights to NFL playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

Verizon Wireless will not be live streaming the Super Bowl on mobile devices, but that does not mean it will not have its hand in the Super Bowl experience. Verizon and the NFL have teamed up to provide fans attending the game with a Super Bowl Stadium app offering exclusive in-game video content, replays and even replays from multiple camera angles, enabling even more armchair referees than ever before.

NBC would like to see TV Everywhere … well, everywhere, and there are more eyeballs attracted to that concept with each passing year. According to a recently released survey from coupon deal site FatWallet.com, 24 percent of people are more likely to stream their TV content. With 70 percent of NFL fans using the “second screen” while viewing football, the Super Bowl may turn into an annual holiday for streamers.

Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
3 best Disney+ movies to watch instead of the Super Bowl 2024
A man and a woman walk in a zoo in We Bought a Zoo.

It's February 11, and the question everyone is asking is this: How are you going to spend Super Bowl Sunday? If you're not a big football fan or don't care about Super Bowl halftime shows, then you may feel like you're out of luck. After all, what else is there to watch?

Disney+ may seem like an odd solution to this problem, but it turns out that the House of Mouse streamer has some good options for anyone interested in some action, adventure, or good old-fashioned comedy. Here are some movies that are sure to entertain, and we promise that there won't be a football in sight.

Read more
5 great Netflix movies to watch instead of Super Bowl 2024
Keanu Reeves in John Wick.

How are you going to spend Super Bowl Sunday? If you're not into football or you aren't interested in the Super Bowl commercials, there's no reason not to get together with your friends and family to do something else on the big day. And if you're a Netflix subscriber, then you've got everything you need for a movie party without having to turn on the Super Bowl.

Whether you're flying solo this weekend or getting together with other people, these are the five best Netflix movies to watch besides the Super Bowl. Our list features one of the most successful animated movies of all time, the return of everyone's favorite superhero, Keanu Reeves' action comeback, Jennifer Lawrence's big screen return, and a musical rom-com that might be the life of a party by itself.

Read more
10 best Super Bowls of the last decade, ranked
Players kick a ball in the Super Bowl.

In American football, there is no bigger game than the Super Bowl. For nearly 60 years, the championship game between the top teams from the AFC and the NFC has become a TV event like no other. While it's true that many people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, there have also been some truly classic showdowns on the football field.

With Super Bowl LVIII arriving this Sunday, February 11, we're taking a look back at the best Super Bowls of the last decade ranked from worst to first. There are a few blowouts below, starting with our pick for No. 10. But the very best Super Bowls on this list are already legendary in the lore of the NFL.

Read more