If you’re looking for the best way to watch the Super Bowl in 2025, the answer is more complicated than it should be.
Between cable providers, live TV streaming services, free streaming options, and a trusty antenna, there are an assortment of ways to watch the game. Unfortunately, many of them offer varying levels of video and audio quality, yet it’s weirdly difficult to get precise details on what those differences are.
Seriously, I shouldn’t have to spend hours chasing down PR contacts and interrogating them on 4K, HDR, and surround sound options for the Super Bowl. This stuff should just be posted online by the companies involved.
But since they won’t, I will. These are what I believe are all the Super Bowl viewing options, ranked from best to worst:
1. Comcast’s “Enhanced 4K” feed
- Quality: 4K, Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos, low-latency
- Requirements: X1 box for low latency
No one should sign up for cable just to watch the Super Bowl—not with the numerous free alternatives listed below—but if we’re measuring by quality, the highest-quality Super Bowl broadcast is only available on Comcast’s X1 cable boxes.
As with the Paris Olympics last year, Comcast is offering an “Enhanced 4K” feed that supports both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, a combo that no other streaming platform will offer. The company is also promising “ultra-low latency,” which should only trail behind live action by about 10 seconds.
Comcast will also offer Enhanced 4K through its Xfinity Stream app, but a spokesperson confirms that it won’t support ultra-low latency. That means you’ll need an X1 box if you want no risk of social media spoilers. (The app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TVs, LG TVs, Xumo devices, and Xfinity Flex boxes.)
2. Tubi’s free live stream
- Quality: 4K HDR, 5.1 surround sound, possibly low latency
- Requirements: Compatible Roku, Fire TV, Android TV/Google TV, or Apple TV for 4K HDR and surround sound
Tubi is Fox’s free streaming service, and this year it will stream the Super Bowl for free as well. Tubi will carry the same exact broadcast as Fox proper, and it will support 4K HDR video and surround sound on compatible Roku, Fire TV, Android TV/Google TV, and Apple TV devices.
Note that Fox is not natively broadcasting the game in 4K, and is instead upscaling a 1080p signal. Still, Tubi should provide an overall better picture than over-the-air broadcasts if you have the proper hardware. Hopefully it also provides the same low-latency feed that the Fox Sports app did in 2023.
There’s just one potential snag: Tubi’s app will have a sign-in requirement, and you’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Given that Tubi has never covered a live event at this scale before, and that lots of people will suddenly be signing up on game day, there’s plenty of potential for things to go wrong.
3. An antenna and ATSC 3.0 tuner
- Quality: 720p to 1080p, HDR, 5.1 surround sound, low latency. (Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision or HDR10+ in select markets)
- Requirements: ATSC 3.0-compatible TV or tuner box
The Super Bowl is a big event for ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, as it brings HDR to the big game’s over-the-air broadcasts. Using an antenna also gives you lower latency than most streaming services, and it’s not prone to any buffering issues or service outages.
Caveats apply, however; you’ll need a TV or external tuner with ATSC 3.0 support, and your local Fox station must support HDR on its NextGen TV feed. (The NextGenTV website’s station lookup tool shows which channels in your area offer HDR.)
Some local Fox affiliates owned by Gray Media will go a step further, offering HDR10+ and Dolby Vision in select markets. TVTechnology reports that these include Atlanta, Ga.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Davenport, Iowa; Mobile and Birmingham, Ala., Pensacola, Fla.; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.; and Portland, Ore.
Gray will also provide Dolby Atmos audio in New Orleans, La.; Atlanta, Ga.; Springfield, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Honolulu, Hawai; Tucson, Ariz.; Davenport, Iowa; and Portland, Ore.
4. An antenna without ATSC 3.0
- Quality: 720p to 1080i, SDR, 5.1 surround sound, low latency.
- Requirements: Just an antenna
Even on TVs that use the longstanding ATSC 1.0 standard, an antenna a fine way to watch the Super Bowl. Assuming reception is strong in your area, you’ll get a 5.1 surround sound and a lower-latency signal than streaming services; plus, no risk of buffering issues or outages. Picture quality might also be better than the more compressed feeds of cable and streaming, though that can vary by station and the number of subchannels it’s carrying.
5. YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, or Fubo
- Quality (DirecTV and YouTube TV): 4K HDR, 5.1 surround sound
- Quality (Fubo): 4K HDR, stereo sound, plus Dolby Vision on Roku, Android TV/Google TV, and Fire TV
- Requirements: See compatibility lists for YouTube TV 4K, YouTube TV surround, DirecTV 4K, and Fubo 4K
DirecTV’s service includes 4K HDR video at no extra charge and will carry Super Bowl LIX on channel 105. YouTube TV charges $10 per month extra for 4K video, but is offering the add-on as a 30-day free trial for new users. Fubo will stream Super Bowl LIX in 4K HDR, but only in its Elite package, which costs $108 per month after regional sports fees.
While their capabilities differ, I’m ranking them all the same. Fubo is the only live TV streaming service that will offer the Super Bowl in Dolby Vision HDR, but doesn’t support surround sound. The other two services offer surround sound, but support HDR10 only. You shouldn’t sign up for any of them just to watch the game—not with free alternative available—but the features are nice to have if you’re already a subscriber.
6. Sling TV
Sling TV, whose Blue package carries Fox in select markets, will carry the game in 4K, but the company has not responded to an inquiry on HDR support. At least 4K doesn’t cost extra if you’re a Sling subscriber.
7. Regular cable TV
- Quality: HD, 5.1 surround sound
- Requirements: A cable box
I’ve yet to see any other cable providers besides Comcast announce 4K HDR support for Super Bowl LIX, so let’s assume for now that they’ll stick with the usual HD quality. If you’re still a cable TV subscriber, you’ll probably just stick with it for the Super Bowl instead of chancing the vagaries of streaming, but the free 4K feed on Tubi might be worth a look for comparison’s sake.
8. Hulu + Live TV
- Quality: HD, 5.1 surround sound
- Requirements: Any device with the Hulu app
Unlike most of its live TV streaming peers, Hulu + Live TV won’t offer a 4K feed of the Super Bowl, though the service at least supports surround sound on select devices.
Dead last: The NFL app
- Quality: HD, 30 frames per second, stereo sound
- Requirements: Any device with the NFL app
As in previous years, the NFL app will stream the Super Bowl with no TV provider authentication required. Too bad the app’s video quality is garbage, with dull colors streamed at a choppy 30 frames per second.
Now that the NFL offers its own streaming service, you’d think the league would bring quality in line with modern streaming standards; but no, it continues to insult its viewers by doing the absolute bare minimum. Rant over. You can at least keep it in mind as a free backup solution if all other options fall apart on gameday.
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