Super Bowl LV The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play on Sunday, February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The game will be televised on CBS and can be streamed live on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app or with a CBS All Access subscription. The Super Bowl starts earlier than most primetime events to maximize viewership across time zones and ensure it ends in prime time on the East Coast, so here’s what you need to know.
The NFL’s annual championship game typically delivers some of the most thrilling moments in sports, from David vs. Goliath upsets to perfect season wins, and with storylines straight out of the Hollywood playbook, Super Bowl LV is gearing up for big drama. Partially the same content. On February 7, Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will become the oldest quarterback ever to appear in a Super Bowl at age 43, breaking his previous record with the New England Patriots Records of 40 and 41. He will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-year-old phenom Patrick Mahomes, who will become the youngest quarterback to play in consecutive Super Bowls. While Mahomes hopes to win back-to-back championships, Brady will seek his record-tying seventh Super Bowl ring, also an NFL record, in his astonishing 10th appearance. The game will be held at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, marking the first time in NFL history that a team will compete in the Super Bowl at its home stadium.
Super Bowl LV will begin at 6:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST); however, the kickoff may be delayed a few minutes due to pregame festivities. Central Standard Time viewers will watch the kickoff at 5:30 PM, while Mountain Standard Time viewers will watch the kickoff at 4:30 PM. As always, West Coast viewers will see the earliest kickoff time in the continental United States, starting at 3:30 PM PST. CBS media coverage of Super Sunday begins at 11:30 a.m. ET and ends with the CBS Super Bowl Kickoff Show at 6:00 p.m. ET. Opening acts include the national anthem by Grammy Award-nominated artists Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, “America the Beautiful” by Grammy Award-winning artist HER, a coin toss and team introductions. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will call the game for CBS, with reporters Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn Evan Washburn and Jay Feely will provide live coverage, while rules analyst Gene Steratore stands ready to provide further analysis.
Over its 55-year history, the Super Bowl has transformed from game to spectacle and is now the most-watched television event in the United States, watched by more than 100 million viewers annually. As ratings increase, so do advertising dollars. CBS generated $336 million in advertising during its last Super Bowl broadcast in 2019, but that may change for the 2021 Super Bowl due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given those types of numbers, it’s no surprise that the TV networks are keen on a 6:30 PM ET kickoff, a time that hasn’t changed since 2017. In fact, since 1991, the Super Bowl has started between 6:00 pm and 6:00 pm. 6:40 PM ET This time slot has proven to be a successful formula for attracting as many television viewers as possible while ensuring that the games continue into prime time on the East Coast.
NFL games typically last more than three hours in real time, but Super Bowl games typically take longer due to longer halftimes and a greater focus on commercial breaks. Assuming there is no overtime, Super Bowl LV should end around 9:50 PM ET. In addition to ensuring the largest possible audience across the country, the network will be provided with a one-hour East Coast primetime post-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Will Tom Brady win a record seventh Super Bowl, or will Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take the next step toward a dynasty with back-to-back wins? Either way, it will give viewers a story that can only be found in the greatest football movies. Super Bowl LV will kick off at 6:30 pm EST on CBS.