LOS ANGELES — Whether you’re on a beer run, a bathroom break or just can’t find a good seat at a packed party, there will be ways to keep tabs on the upcoming Super Bowl.
Just to make sure you’re covered, let’s examine each scenario so you don’t miss a second of the action. You might need a credit card. But what’s a few more bucks since you just bought that six-pack of beer?
Depending on your setup there’s a different playbook. Like Peyton Manning, sometimes you have to call an audible and change plans quickly. But preparation is everything.
Ready, set, hut hut!
BEER RUN: Before you get off the couch, flip on your smartphone.
FIRST LOOK: If you’re a Verizon customer, you’re in luck. You can download the NFL Mobile app and pay $5 a month to get live video streams of every Monday night, Thursday night and Sunday night game. For the last two years, the app has also carried the Super Bowl and the halftime show.
This is the best option for full video of the game, other than your regular TV, which will have the Super Bowl on the free-to-air Fox channel with hosts Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. If you’re outside of Wi-Fi coverage, reception may be spotty.
SECOND LOOK: Sirius XM customers can download the mobile app and listen to live coverage of the game, even if they don’t have a special Sirius XM receiver. If you’re not a customer yet, you can try a 30-day free trial by signing up at SiriusXM.com and providing a name and an email address, then downloading the app and entering the credentials sent to you by email. It’s normally $14.49 per month.
You won’t be seeing the action, but the audio will be reliable even on cellular coverage.
SCRAMBLE: What if you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to pay? Wait for a commercial break and make a dash for your car. Tune to longtime Super Bowl host WestwoodOne, which has AM radio stations across the nation. If you’re smart, you’ll tune to the station beforehand. Drive to a liquor store that you know has a TV.
Both Sirius and the AM stations will carry the play-by-play with Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason.
BATHROOM BREAK: Grab the nearest laptop or tablet computer.
FIRST LOOK: Presuming you’ll be sitting down, surf to Fox.com on a Web browser. The broadcaster, which will host Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, plans to carry a live stream of the game and the halftime show on these platforms. While plans are still in flux, there’s a good chance that Fox will also host on-demand playback of the game’s commercials, which are usually a source of Monday morning chatter. That’s what CBS did last year, along with providing ways to comment on Twitter and Facebook about everything game.
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
SECOND LOOK: Turn the TV up really loud before heading to the head.
BAD SEAT: Grab the nearest laptop or tablet computer.
FIRST LOOK: Along with having a screen all to yourself, you will likely be able to toggle between different camera angles online. Last year, CBS offered several different ones including an “All-22” view that showed a top-down look at every player on the field so you can study formations as well as a “Fan Choice” camera view chosen by votes.
The computer option is also good even if you’re in front of your TV as you can participate in the online buzz around the nation’s biggest TV event of the year.
