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February 08, 2022

How to watch Super Bowl LVI, with or without a cable subscription

The game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday from SoFi Stadium. Pregame coverage on NBC begins at noon

Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The game will be broadcast by NBC and the network's coverage begins at noon with the "Road to the Super Bowl" followed by the five-hour long "Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show," starting at 1 p.m.

The venerable broadcaster Al Michaels and former Bengals' player Cris Collinsworth, will be in the broadcast booth for Sunday's game. Collinsworth was a star on the Bengals in their previous two Super Bowl appearances in 1980s, both losses to the San Francisco 49ers.

This Super Bowl could be Michaels' final game with NBC. The long-time broadcaster is rumored to be heading to Amazon's Thursday Night Football coverage next season.

Michele Tafoya and Kathryn Tappen will be reporting from the sidelines. Tafoya previously announced that she would be retiring from sideline reporting following the game

For the second straight year a Super Bowl team will be playing the game at its home stadium. For 2022 it's the Rams will have the theoretical home-field advantage; they share SoFi Stadium with the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in Raymond James Stadium when they defeated the Chiefs for the championship.

Sunday will be the Rams' fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; the most recent was at the end of the 2018 season. The team last won the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 1999 season, which it did as the St. Louis Rams. This Bengals are playing in their third Super Bowl. The last time they played for the title was during the 1988 season, and Cincinnati has never won the Super Bowl.

Country music singer Mickey Guyton will sing the "The Star-Spangled Banner"; Jhené Aiko will sing "America the Beautiful"; and Mary Mary and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show features hip-hop and R&B stars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Sunday's game will have a full house of fans at SoFi Stadium after last year's game had limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for those who will not be there in-person, here's how to watch, stream and listen to Super Bowl LVI at home.

Free options for streaming Super Bowl LVI

There are a number of ways to stream the Super Bowl this this year, including several free options.

HuluYouTubeSling and Fubo all carry NBC and can be accessed using phones, tablets, laptops and internet-connected TVs. All four of platforms offer free trials, just be sure to cancel the subscription before the promotional period ends so you don't get billed.

Fans also can watch the Super Bowl for free through the NFL and Yahoo Sports apps. Both are available for iOS and Android mobile devices

The Bengals-Rams game will not be shown on the free basic-level package of Peacock, NBC's streaming service. You need at least Peacock's second-tier plan that costs $4.99 per month, which also opens up access to the streaming service's entire library and includes fewer commercials during programs.

Peacock Premium Plus, the most expensive subscription plan, costs $9.99 per month with no commercials and allows users unlimited downloads. Xfinity customers get Peacock Premium for free as part of their cable and internet subscriptions.

As an incentive to sign up, Peacock will premiere "Bel-Air," the dramatic reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" starring West Philly's Jabari Banks in the Will Smith role, following the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

Sunday's game also can be streamed on the NBC Sports website and app, but you need a valid cable login. The app is available for mobile devices and internet-connected TVs.

How to watch Super Bowl LVI with a cable subscription

NBC is the broadcast network for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m., but pregame coverage begins at noon.

NBC originally was scheduled to broadcast the Super Bowl in 2021, but the network swapped with CBS so it could broadcast this year's game concurrently with its coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. 

This is the first Super Bowl to overlap with an Olympic games. Primetime Olympics coverage will air on NBC following the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI.

How to listen to Super Bowl LVI

Westwood One Sports will broadcast Super Bowl LVI on radio. Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner, who played quarterback for the Rams when they last won the Super Bowl, will be in the broadcast booth. Laura Okmin and former Eagle Mike Golic will be on the sidelines.

Listeners in the Philadelphia region can catch the game on SportsRadio 94WIP. The game can also be heard through NFL Game Pass, SiriusXM and TuneIn. SiriusXM and TuneIn are offering promotional subscriptions for three months the cost $1.


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