How to Watch the Super Bowl Without Cable

The 2022 Super Bowl should feel more normal than the 2021 Super Bowl, which took place in the middle of a pandemic. We don’t yet know which teams will be playing, but let’s just assume Tom Brady will be the quarterback for one of them until, oh, 2030 or so. Whether you’re a Brady fan or not, you can enjoy the Super Bowl without cable — and even watch the Super Bowl for free. Below, we’ll lay out everything you need to know to have a cable-free Super Bowl experience, including the date, time, channel information, and tips about streaming services and free over-the-air TV.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to stream the Super Bowl:

	Price	Channels	Free Trial
#1	$69.99 – $139.99	65+	None	See Offer
#2	$5.99 – $85.96	68 – 88	7 or 30 days	See Offer
#3	$64.99 – $33.00	220+	7 days	See Offer
#4	$35 – $50	30+ – 130+	3 days	See Offer

When is the Super Bowl? What channel is the Super Bowl on?

Super Bowl LVI kicks off Feb. 13 on NBC. If that seems later than usual, it’s because it is: For the first time, NFL teams are playing 17 games in a season instead of 16. Why 17? The short version is that NFL owners like money, so now we’re looking at a few years where Valentine’s Day plans and Super Bowl plans may collide. But that’s another topic.

What: Super Bowl LVI
Date: Sunday, February 13, 2022
Time: TBA
Channel: NBC

How to watch the Super Bowl online and over the air without cable

The Super Bowl always airs on a major network (it’s NBC this season), and major networks have affiliates all over the country. That gives us a great option for watching the Super Bowl without cable for free: over-the-air TV, which costs nothing other than the one-time expense of buying an antenna.

But that’s not the only way to watch the Super Bowl without cable. There are also multichannel live TV streaming services, or “skinny bundles,” which offer cable-like bundles of live TV channels that stream over the internet.

There’s one catch with skinny bundles, though: Not all the major network affiliates across the country have signed on yet, so the availability of ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX livestreams varies by region. You can check availability on the streaming services’ sites or just sign up for a free trial and check. Just make sure you do it before the day of your party. Remember, in 2022 you want NBC!

Ready to look at your options in more depth?

DIRECTV Stream is the skinny-bundle service from AT&T. It was formerly known as AT&T TV, among other names. It's a good service by any name, and it offers a livestream of NBC in most markets, which makes it perfect for watching this year's Super Bowl.

Hulu’s take on the live TV streaming service is an impressive offering. Hulu + Live TV’s great bundle of channels includes a livestream of all four major networks, so you can use Hulu + Live TV to watch the Super Bowl every year. 

fuboTV is a skinny bundle built with sports in mind, which means it’s a great way to watch American football — especially the Super Bowl. You can read our review of fuboTV to find out more before you sign up.

Sling TV is known for cutting out local channels and passing the savings on to viewers, but you can now get NBC in a few markets, including Chicago, New York, Miami, and San Francisco. If you live in the right metropolitan area, you’ll be able to use Sling TV to watch the Super Bowl without cable.

YouTube TV

Google’s live TV streaming service, YouTube TV, is another strong option for Super Bowl streaming. YouTube TV offers local feeds of major networks in lots of markets, and there is plenty of sports coverage available on other channels as well. Our YouTube TV review has more info.

Free over-the-air TV

Yes, you can still use an antenna to watch TV for free. Since the major networks that broadcast the Super Bowl each year have affiliates all across the country, there’s a good chance you can watch the Super Bowl without cable for free. You’ll just have to find out how close you are to the broadcast towers that matter (this year, NBC is the one you need). Get an antenna powerful enough to pick up the signal, hook it up, and then go to your TV’s settings and scan for channels. Do it right, and you should be able to watch the Super Bowl without cable for free.

The Yahoo Sports App

The Yahoo Sports App is a great option for mobile views. It's totally free, and it also includes a nice perk for these lonely days without Super Bowl parties: A chat feature lets you communicate with pals who are also on the app.

The NFL App

The NFL's own mobile app is one of your best options for watching the Super Bowl for free online. If you have a fancy new iPhone 12 and 5G coverage from Verizon, then your NFL app experience will be augmented with extra camera angles and analysis.

ESPN.com and ESPN Apps (Spanish)

ESPN is another great source for Super Bowl streaming, but only if you're willing to watch the broadcast in Spanish — ESPN has the rights to the Spanish-language broadcast, but not the English-language one. You won't need ESPN Plus to access the broadcast, but football fans may like the extra content that comes with a subscription. You may want to grab an ESPN Plus free trial while you're in the app!

Can I Watch the Super Bowl on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?

Okay, so you can plug in an antenna and watch the Super Bowl without cable on your TV – or you can get a Super Bowl live stream and watch the Super Bowl without cable online. But what if you want to get that Super Bowl live stream onto your TV? Let's take a look at how your best Super Bowl streaming options work with our favorite streaming devices.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that you can turn your free-over-the-air TV Super Bowl experience into a Super Bowl live stream, if you so desire. By using an antenna and either a) an OTA DVR like Tablo or b) a PC TV tuner and Plex, you can make over-the-air content available on multiple devices as streaming content. Using this method, you can receive the signal through your antenna but then use supported apps to stream the Super Bowl without cable on streaming devices like the ones mentioned above.