Super Bowl 50: How to watch Carolina Panthers vs Denver Broncos if you don’t have a TV

The game is coming just as people drop their cable subscriptions — but the NFL is ready to give you other options

U.S. sailors watch NFL's Super Bowl XLV football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in an undisclosed location February 6, 2011 (REUTERS/U.S. Navy Visual News Service/Handout)

The Super Bowl is about to happen. But how can you watch it?

Super Bowl 50 is coming as more and more people drop their cable and satellite subscriptions, instead streaming their TV and films through the internet. And the NFL seems to have realised, providing more and more easy ways to watch without cable or even a TV.

Watching the game with a TV is relatively easy. In the US, it’ll be shown on CBS, for which you’ll need cable; in the UK it’ll be available either on Sky or BBC 2.

In the US, companies aren’t afraid about giving it away for free. It’ll be broadcast through the CBS Sports app as well as the official National Football League one — both of which are available for pretty much every set-top box and console, including the Apple TV, Chromecast and the Xbox One.

Companies are less bothered about restricting access to the Super Bowl because much of the money comes through the hugely expensive ads, anyway. The more people are able to watch it for free, the more will see those costly ads — and, in turn, the more the networks can charge for them.

The free NFL app option won’t work for people overseas, however. To use that app internationally, you’ll have to sign up for the NFL Game Pass option — keen fans might already have signed up to the service, which costs $99 per year, though the NFL is already running special offers.

In the UK, the game is being shown on Sky and BBC 2. You can watch BBC 2 live through a range of apps — including iPlayer, which is available for almost every possible platform.

If you’re somewhere else in the world, then it’s likely that a local channel is showing it.

If not, then it might be that grey or black market options might be easiest. One includes setting up a Slingbox — which connects to a cable box and then distributes it, over the internet — meaning that if you’re travelling or can convince someone in a place that’s showing it to send it to you, you’ll be able to watch.