It’s almost February, which means the biggest spectacle in football is just around the corner. However, Super Bowl LV is played during a pandemic and is vastly different from the 54 Super Bowl games that have been played before. The good news is you don’t need a cable subscription to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle the Buffalo Bills on February 7th.
If you’ve got cable, the Super Bowl will air on CBS this year, starting on Sunday, February 7th at 6:15 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. For those of us who cut the cord a long time ago and would rather stream live events, this is where you can watch the 2021 Super Bowl and all the formalities associated with it like media day.
Stream for free on CBS
The CBS family of apps has rights to the Super Bowl this year, but luckily, you can stream the game for free using the regular CBS app on your connected device. CBS All-Access will also display the game, but requires a subscription. If you’d like to see the game in Spanish, ESPN Deportes will broadcast it on TV as well as in its app for free. There is also the option to watch the game on Hulu Live or FuboTV. Both offer free trials for seven days, but cost a monthly fee thereafter.
G / O Media can receive a commission
The NFL will also be streaming the game through their own app, but may not be a necessary download if you’re not 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 the media day takes place on the Monday before the game – which means that if we lived under normal circumstances, the media gag today would fall on players and coaches.
ESPN reports that there will be some sort of virtual media day, but it will be far more subdued than usual and most likely resemble a standard press conference. The teams will not fly in until the Friday before the game. In a typical situation, they are usually in town a week before the festivities, holding court at a team hotel.
There will still be entertainment
It’s not the Super Bowl without headline entertainment, and the Weeknd is this year’s halftime artist. It’s going to be strange as the NFL will no doubt try to create the standard stadium rock vibe worthy of a superstar, albeit with a 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 play the national anthem before the game. The singer HER will also sing “America The Beautiful” before the game.
The show will continue across the country and beyond despite the dire circumstances. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is also 43 years old and is making his tenth Super Bowl appearance. This is something that announcers will be excited about no matter what service you are streaming.
