Verizon and NBC Make Super Bowl XLIX Stream Available For Free To iPhone & iPad Users

[PhilSynowiec]

February 1st will be one of the biggest days for TV in 2015, as the Seahawks play against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Although most of us here in the US will be watching the event at home or a bar, the unfortunate few who will be away from a television set need not to worry.

NBCUniversal announced on Tuesday that it will offer a free live stream of the Super Bowl for desktop and tablet users. The stream will be available through the NBC Sports Live Extra app, which normally requires users to login using a cable subscription. However, NBC will be opening the app to everyone for free to stream the 11-hour event.

The special access event kicks off at noon ET with NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game coverage and concludes with The Blacklist, which follows post-game coverage at approximately 10 p.m. ET. Consumers accessing NBC Sports Live Extra and NBC.com during “Super Stream Sunday” will not be prompted to log-in with their cable/satellite/telco credentials; however, as part of this special access, they will receive consistent messaging in and around the experience about the ease in authenticating after the end of The Blacklist.

NBC Sports Live Extra is only available to users in the US and offers 1080p video on Retina iPads. Folks looking to watch the big game without a tablet will have to stream it using the Verizon mobile app, as the company has exclusive rights to smartphone users.