In the biggest example to date that Web streaming is becoming a must-do service, NBC announced today that the Super Bowl — television’s most-watched event — will be streamed online, and to mobile phones, for the first time ever. Wild card Saturday and the Pro Bowl will also be streamed. The 2012 Super Bowl stream will be available through NBC.com, and through the NFL Mobile app, which is only available to Verizon Wireless customers.
In addition to the big game, NBC will also show make available additional camera angles, game highlights and live game stats, reports the Associated Press. This is basically the same package NBC has been offering with its stream of “Sunday Night Football,” which has been online for the past four years.
Because of the added features on the Web stream, NBC found that people weren’t just watching the game on their PCs; they were watching on both the TV and on the website, likely to get the bigger screen view while being able to access the added content.
By airing the Super Bowl both online and on its network, NBC hopes to boost the game’s viewership to record levels. Not that it needs any help; last year, the Packers-Steelers game drew in 111 million viewers, making it by far the most popular broadcast of the year.
[Image via Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock]
