The New England Patriots are set to take on the Los Angeles Rams, and it’s sure to be an entertaining game. If you’ve cut the cord, don’t worry! You can still log in and watch the Super Bowl.
There’s nothing quite like watching the Super Bowl – and all the fantastic commercials – in real time. You have different options for watching the Super Bowl if you’ve cut the cord, ranging from completely free to a few hundred bucks.
Option 1: watch with a terrestrial antenna
If you want to cut all your costs up front, grab an OTA (Over-the-Air) antenna and (optionally) a TV tuner. These antennas work the same way they did when you were a kid: plug them into your TV or tuner with a coaxial cable, give it a moment to scan the channels, and look away! You won’t have to worry about a monthly bill and you should be able to get the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is on CBS, so the important thing is to make sure you buy an antenna that can pick up your nearest CBS affiliate. If you are unsure, the FCC has a handy tool which allows you to enter your address and find out how far the station is. Then just buy an antenna that covers at least the distance from that station.
If you want to watch the big game on multiple devices in your home, or if you’re using a projector or other display without a built-in TV tuner, you’ll want to get an external tuner like the Amazon Fire TV Redesign. This will connect to your home network and allow you to stream any programs from the antenna to any of your other screens.
Soon: How to Get HD TV Channels for Free (Without Paying for Cable)
Option 2: Watch with a streaming service
Services like YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are fantastic replacements for cable for all your live TV needs, including the Super Bowl. Both services offer free trials for new users (one month for YouTube TV and one week for Hulu). So if you’ve never used either of these services, you can watch the big game for free. If you like having access to live TV, stay subscribed to each service: You’ll pay $40 a month for YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. Sling TV and PlayStation Vue don’t include CBS, so you can’t use those services to watch the Super Bowl.
CBS also allows CBS All Access Subscribers can watch the Super Bowl live, so you may be able to use another free trial if you’ve used the other services’ trials before. CBS All Access gives you a one-week free trial, after which you’ll pay $6 a month if you don’t mind the ads and $10 a month for ad-free viewing.
A big caveat with using a streaming service is reliability. This isn’t normally a problem, but Hulu’s live stream completely crashed in the final moments of the 2018 game. We have to hope that Hulu and other streaming providers have made efforts to prevent that this year, but it’s unclear what will happen until the game starts.
Option 3: go to a public visit or to a friend’s house
Simple: If someone else is paying for a way to watch the Super Bowl, it’s probably easier to go to their house or a venue and watch it. Be a good friend and bring drinks for the host, or buy drinks at your local sports bar to pay your share of electricity. Plus, you get more people to enjoy awesome ads with!
Watch internationally
If you are outside the United States, don’t worry! The easiest way is to subscribe to NFL game pass, which will allow you to watch any football match. If you are in the UK, you will be able to watch on the BBC iPlayer or Sky Sports. Failing that, you can sign up for a VPN, set your location to the United States, and then use one of the streaming options listed above.
What you should not do
You might have heard of shady methods to watch the game that are 100% free. These will be free, but they will probably also be illegal. In addition to breaking the law, the stream will likely cut out for some time in the middle of the game. Save yourself the heartache and follow the legal methods.
No matter how you watch the Super Bowl, pop some popcorn, have a drink and enjoy the game!
