How to Stream Super Bowl 50 for Free on Your Apple Devices
Super Bowl 50 (yes, 50 and not L, because the NFL has switched from Roman to Arabic numerals) will take place 7 February 2016 at 6:30 PM EST. If you want to watch the showdown between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos, but don’t have traditional TV service, the good news is that CBS will be streaming the game for free to viewers in the United States.
Here’s how to stream the game on any of your Apple devices:
- Mac: On the Mac, open a Web browser and go to CBSSports.com. There should be a prominent link on the front page when the time comes. Note that the CBS Sports video player requires Flash. If you don’t wish to install Flash (we don’t advise it), use the Google Chrome Web browser, which has a self-contained Flash player.
- iPad: iPad users can watch the game with the free CBS Sports app. Easy.
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iPhone: The bad news for iPhone users is that you must be a Verizon Wireless subscriber to watch the game. But if you are, you can watch the game live in the free NFL app. You can stream the game over Wi-Fi instead of Verizon’s cellular network. The only upside of this limitation is that you don’t have to log in to your Verizon account in the app.
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Apple TV: No brand loyalty is required to watch the Super Bowl on the Apple TV. Find the CBS Sports app in the Apple TV’s App Store, download it, and open it (CBS has two other Apple TV apps, CBS and CBS News, that won’t do what you want). I imagine that the Super Bowl stream will be prominently featured on game day.
If you’re outside of the United States on Super Bowl Sunday, your options depend on the country you’re in. The BBC and Sky both have broadcast rights to the game in the UK, so you should be able to watch it in their respective apps if you have the appropriate license and/or subscription: iPlayer for the BBC and Sky Go. Likewise, CTV owns the Super Bowl rights in Canada, so you should be able to watch the game on CTV Go if you’re a subscriber. If you know of details for other countries, let us know in the comments and we’ll add them.
And if you only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, you’ll be able to find them all on the YouTube AdBlitz channel via whatever device you prefer for YouTube.
>>>iPhone and iPad: The bad news for iOS users is that you must be a Verizon Wireless subscriber to watch the game. <<<
CBS says that all you have to do is download and install the free CBS Sports app:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cbs-sports/id307184892?mt=8
to stream the Super Bowl live on either the iPad or iPhone.
Thanks for pointing that out! When I wrote this up last week, CBS's site specified that only Verizon customers could watch on Apple devices. Thankfully, it seems like the CBS Sports app will let you watch on the iPad for free. However, the app description also says: "Note: mobile phone users do not have access to the stream." So it looks like you're out of luck on non-Verizon iPhones.
Is this only for the newest Apple TV? I'm assuming so since there isn't an app store for the older ones. Which means that millions of folks are screwed. Yay.
That's a good question. There is a CBS Sports app on the third-generation Apple TV, but it doesn't mention anything about the Super Bowl. I'd recommend opening it on game day with your fingers crossed.
In Australia, its on free-to-air channel 7 and 7Mate (and this year it looks like the whole game is on 7Mate, unlike last year where half way through it changed channels!). Starts early morning Monday (7AM or 9AM Perth time).
Final got decent NFL access online on CBS. Perfect as good as HD. Use PureVPN to access CBS from outside the US.
Source: https://www.purevpn.com/blog/nfl-super-bowl-live-stream/