The second month of the year means it’s time for the annual onslaught that is the Super Bowl. That is the championship game for the NFL season that started the previous fall. And we’ll be perfectly honest here: The hardest part about watching the Super Bowl is figuring out what the Roman numerals mean. (Spoiler: Super Bowl LVIII is Super Bowl 58.)
It is much easier to explain how to watch Super Bowl 2024. This year, the game — which will be played on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — is on CBS, which means it’s available pretty much anywhere. Cable. Satellite. Streaming. Broadcast. Anywhere that typically has TV coverage should have the Super Bowl.
There are still some details to work out, though. Keep on reading, and we’ll explain.
Who’s playing in Super Bowl LVIII?
The short version is we don’t yet know which teams will meet in Super Bowl LVIII because we have to let the postseason play out first. We’re currently at the Conference Championships level, otherwise known as the semifinals.
On the AFC side of things, the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens face off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 28. Both teams have had stellar seasons, with the Ravens powering their way through almost everyone on their way to hosting this game. Kansas City also has had a strong year, buoyed (if not nearly eclipsed) by the very public courtship between tight end Travis Kelce and musician Taylor Swift.
The NFC championship sees the Detroit Lions heading west to the San Francisco 49ers. Will this finally be the year Detroit finally makes it to the Super Bowl? (Or even win it?) We’ll find out at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
So Super Bowl LVIII will be between two of those four teams.
What time is the Super Bowl?
This part’s easy. Super Bowl LVIII is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (That’s 3:30 p.m. local time in Vegas.) But given that Las Vegas never actually goes to bed — and also given that this is the biggest sporting event in the country — coverage starts well before the game.
On Super Bowl Sunday itself, pregame coverage starts on CBS at 3 p.m., and post-game coverage should land by 10 p.m. (Assuming things don’t run long.) That’s in addition to all the coverage that all the other places that have sports online and on TV. And it’s also in addition to all the other coverage that’ll be on CBS and other Paramount-owned properties.
In other words, strap in. It’s going to be a busy ride.
Is Super Bowl LVIII in 4K and HDR?
Yes, Super Bowl LVIII will be available in 4K resolution on CBS. Repeat: You will be able to watch Super Bowl 2024 in 4K resolution. On CBS. That’s a big deal because CBS hasn’t been as quick to stream 4K content as the other providers. But this time, it’s doing so. And if you’re watching in at least 1080p resolution (and you almost certainly will be), you’ll also be getting things in full HDR.
CBS also says that the pre-game, halftime show, and post-game coverage will be available in 4K resolution and in HDR.
Welcome to the future, CBS. It’s about time.
How to stream Super Bowl 2024 if you don’t have cable
At some point, we’ll have to come to terms with the fact that there just isn’t that big a difference between cable and streaming anymore. Bits and bytes are bytes and bits, no matter how they come into your home. That said, because the Super Bowl is on CBS, and CBS is a broadcast channel, it’s available in any number of ways.
Generally speaking, there are no bad ways to stream the Super Bowl.
Watch the Super Bowl for free with an antenna
If you’re looking to spend the least amount of money over the long term, this is one of our favorite ways to do it. An over-the-air antenna plucks broadcast signals from the air — yes, the same as when your parents or grandparents were little — and decodes them onto your television. It’s a one-time cost, and the content is free, whether it’s CBS (home of the Super Bowl this year), ABC, NBC, or Fox. Or any of the sub-channels they make available.
The basic rule of thumb here is that you want your antenna to be up as high as you can get it, and outside, if possible. From there, you can plug it directly into your TV, or use a box like Tablo to make that over-the-air signal available to multiple devices in your home.
Otherwise? All you pay for is the hardware. The content is free.
Watch Super Bowl LVIII on YouTube TV
YouTube TV is the most popular live streaming service in the U.S., which means it’ll be the way many folks watch the Super Bowl. Simple enough — CBS should be included in your YouTube TV lineup. (The same goes for Nickelodeon, which will have its kid-friendly version of the broadcast.)
The only real caveat here is whether you want to try to watch the game in the aforementioned 4K resolution. YouTube TV can handle that, and CBS has said it will supply the 4K stream to the streaming services. That presumably means YouTube TV is atop that list. But YouTube TV’s 4K service is an add-on. If you’ve yet to try it, the Super Bowl is the perfect time to take things for a spin.
Another reason to consider YouTube TV is that it is currently the only service in Las Vegas that allows you to flip a switch to lower the latency between what’s on the screen and what’s happening in real time. The broadcast delay feature is available now. If you have a decent connection at home, you should definitely check it out.
Watch Super Bowl LVIII on Fubo
Fubo isn’t the next-biggest streaming service. In fact, it’s the smallest in the U.S. when it comes to options with comparable channels. But it has one thing YouTube TV doesn’t — 4K content without an additional fee. And yes, Fubo has already confirmed that it’ll have the Super Bowl in 4K resolution.
That’s the reason to care about Fubo in terms of the Super Bowl. The rest of the time? It’s a strong contender, though a recent price increase does make it slightly more expensive than its competition. But it has several add-ons— specifically sports-related add-ons — that get you channels you can’t find anywhere else.
Watch Super Bowl LVIII on Paramount+
If, for some reason, you have a subscription to Paramount+ but don’t have one of the live services — you’re still covered. As it’s done throughout the regular season, Paramount+ will have the final NFL game of the season.
Paramount+ also will get the wealth of pre-game content available on CBS and its sister channels.
Watch Super Bowl 2024 with a VPN
For those outside the U.S. who still want to watch Super Bowl 2024 (or if you’re from the U.S. but are overseas during the game — or for whatever other reason), a VPN may be in order.
Here’s the deal: Live streaming services typically are meant to be used in one country. But if you find yourself in another at kickoff, a VPN can make it look like you’re still at home. A virtual private network routes all of your internet traffic through a server in a specific country. So if you’re from the U.S. but are working for the week in, say, Ireland, you’ll just fire up your VPN to connect to things back at home. It’ll be like you never left.
There’s a catch — you need to be able to trust your VPN provider because all of your traffic (encrypted and unencrypted alike) will be transiting that provider. For that, we’ve long been fans of ExpressVPN. It’s easy enough to use, has access to all the servers in all the countries you could possibly use, and the price is right.
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