The Buffalo Bills broke our hearts again, but that won’t stop us from watching Super Bowl LVII in all of its glory. There are ways to maximize the quality of your home viewing experience and it is not too late to upgrade your TV or home theater system to really get into the action and cheer for anyone but the Eagles.
If you can’t get an in-person ticket, you can do the next best thing, you can watch Super Bowl LVII at home or even on the go.
Essential Details
- Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023
- Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Kickoff Time: 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
- Teams: Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs
- Halftime Show Performance: Apple Music, the NFL, and Roc Nation present grammy winner Rihanna for the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. To further support Rihanna’s Super Bowl appearance, there will be a pre-Super Bowl press conference with her on February 9th, 2023 at 10 AM MT that can be accessed on Apple Music and other outlets. Also, Apple Music subscribers can listen to a selection of her recordings in Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos before game day. Check out all the details.
- Pre-Game Performances: Chris Stapleton is scheduled to sing the National Anthem, Babyface is scheduled to sing Americal the Beautiful, and Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform an additional song “Live Every Voice and Sing“.
- Commercials: If Super Bowl tradition holds, this is the only event where watching the commercials is almost as good as the game.
- TV Broadcast Network: FOX
- Streaming Access: Several options are discussed in this article.
The game will be aired live on the FOX network with coverage ongoing throughout the day leading up to the 6:30 pm ET kickoff. Millions of people in the U.S. and around the world are expected to tune in to watch.
How To Watch the Super Bowl in 4K
Unlike last year’s Super Bowl, Super Bowl LVII (2023) will be available in 4K UHD through several Fox Sports cable/satellite distributors, including Altice Optimum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour TV, DirecTV, Dish, Verizon FIOS, as well as the FuboTV and YouTube TV streaming services. 4K access may depend on your location and you may also have to subscribe to a specific 4K plan.
Tip: The Super Bowl may actually be shot and mixed in 1080p (with HDR and Dolby Vision) and upscaled to 4K (with HDR/Dolby Vision) for distribution to compatible outlets. Viewers that don’t have Dolby Vision-enabled 4K UHD TVs, can still access the base-HDR signal, provided the service they are viewing passes through both the 4K UHD and HDR signal. Samsung TVs do not support Dolby Vision.
Note: So far, Comcast is the only service being promoted as providing access to Dolby Vision, through its Xfinity X1 service. Contact your local Comcast provider to see if it will be available in your area.
For TV viewers receiving the game via antenna, the news continues to be not so good as Fox will not be broadcasting the Super Bowl in 4K over the air.
Even those that have TVs with ATSC 3.0/NexGen TV tuners and have access to Fox broadcast stations that transmit in that system, will still only receive the game in 720p or possibly 1080p/HDR in some markets. If you have a TV with a NextGen TV tuner or compatible set-top box, the best thing to do is to contact your local FOX station directly and ask what signal they will be transmitting over the air.
Tip: Although ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV supports 4K UHD over-the-air broadcasting, networks and stations haven’t started to use that option.
Super Bowl Viewing Access
Antenna: One way to watch the Super Bowl is to connect an antenna to your TV and scan for your local Fox network station.
Cable/Satellite: If you subscribe to cable or satellite they all carry the Fox network which carries the Super Bowl. However, check with your local cable provider to see if they offer additional channels that will carry the game if desired. As mentioned previously, some cable and satellite services will offer the Big Game in 4K.
Streaming
Viewers that want to watch the Super Bowl via streaming have several options. Here is a list of streaming outlets that will provide access to the Big Game:
FOX: FOX Sports website and the FOX Sports App.
Hulu+ Live TV: FOX is one of the services offered with the Hulu+ Live TV package. The Hulu+ Live TV subscription price is $69.99 per month.
Sling TV: Similar to Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV also offers access to FOX. Sling TV subscription prices start at $40.00 per month (select cities only).
Fubo TV: Fox and NFL apps are offered by Fubo TV, as well as a free Fubo TV trial. However, it isn’t known if the Free Trial will provide you access to the Super Bowl. The current Fubo TV subscription price starts at $69.99 per month.
DirecTV Stream: This is the streaming version of the DirecTV satellite service, which includes access to the FOX TV network. The current DirecTV Stream subscription price is $69.99 per month.
YouTube TV: FOX is offered as one of the channels available to watch on YouTube TV, which would include the Super Bowl. The current YouTube TV subscription price starts at $64.99 per month.
Tip: You can stream any of the above options on most smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.
If you are watching on a smartphone or tablet (and not a TV), then you can also access the Super Bowl via the NFL Plus App.
Lastly, if you are unable to watch the Super Bowl, you can also listen to the play-by-play on Sirius/XM and Westwood One-affiliated radio stations.
What TV Should I Get?
If you are a sports fan this is a great time to buy a nice big TV.
The 2023 TV models aren’t out yet: A new crop of TVs was shown at the recent 2023 CES, but they will not be available in time for the Super Bowl. This means your selection will be mostly 2022 models. However, this is not a bad thing as prices will be lower than usual as retailers want to sell as much 2022 stock now to make room for the 2023 models that will be arriving throughout the Spring and Summer months.
Here are some core tips when shopping for a TV:
4K UHD TV: If you have access to a 4K viewing option, having a 4K UHD will provide you with a great viewing experience. However, even if you don’t have access to a 4K viewing option, a UHD TV will still enhance your viewing experience. These sets provide good upscaling, adding more perceived detail from HD broadcasts. Also, keep in mind that almost all TVs 43 inches and larger are 4K UHD Smart TVs.
8K TV: 8K TVs provide the highest display resolution available. However, there is very little programming to watch at 8K resolution and Super Bowl is not providing an 8K viewing option. However, 8K TVs provide excellent video upscaling. The Super Bowl will look great, especially if you are watching one of the 4K services but find out if an 8K TV is a good choice to future-proof your next television purchase beyond what might need for the Super Bowl.
TV Tech: There are three basic types of TVs available, LCD (includes LED/LCD, minLED, QLED, Neo QLED, Nanocell/QNED), OLED, and QD-OLED TVs. If you are going to be watching the Super Bowl in a brightly lit room, an LCD-based TV would be the better option over OLED or QD-OLED (at least for 2022 or earlier models).
Tip: For those that haven’t shopped for a TV in several years, Plasma TVs were discontinued in 2014.
TV Size: It’s your decision as to how large a TV you want to buy, but make sure it will fit in your room. Use a tape measure to see what size will fit. There is a wide selection of 65 to 85 inches and a small number of screen sizes ranging up to 98 inches. In addition to screen size, consider optimal viewing distance.
Tip: To dig deeper into TV tech and how to buy a TV in today’s consumer environment, check out our companion article: Buying a New TV: Everything You Need Know
Bonus Tip: All the major TV makers are having promotional sales during this time, so check Amazon, Best Buy, Crutchfield, ABT, and more for purchase options if you are looking for a new TV. Check out our Best Super Bowl TV Deals!
TV Sound: If you want to fill the room with all those stadium cheers and physical player bumps and grinds since TVs are so thin, they don’t really have really good sound quality. If you don’t already have a home theater audio system, getting a soundbar will really help to improve your Super Bowl listing experience. Check out our suggestions for the Best Soundbars.
UST Projector Option
Another option that you can take advantage of is an Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector. This option has become increasingly popular for consumers as it offers a larger screen viewing experience than a flat panel TV and can be less expensive.
Unlike a traditional video projector, a UST projector (Hisense refers to theirs as Laser TVs) sits almost directly under the screen and can project an image as large as 100 to 130 inches. All you need is the wall space to hang a screen.
Note: You can project directly onto a wall, but you won’t get the optimum brightness, contrast, or color saturation as you would with a good screen. Some of these projectors come packaged with a special ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen, so you don’t have to figure out which one to buy on your own.
Tip: Check out our suggestions for the Best UST Projectors and our UST Projector database, which lists most of the available models.
Bonus: Best UST Projectors to Watch the Super Bowl (2023 Edition)
Have Fun!
The only additional thing you need to have on hand to enjoy the Super Bowl are family and friends, and a lot of tasty snacks. May your favorite team win!
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