Super Bowl on Apple TV: how to watch Rams vs Bengals for free

Apple TV
Apple TV (Image credit: iMore)

Watching the Super Bowl on Apple TV tonight is very much an option for the streaming box, even if you've joined the cord-cutting community and are enjoying those epic savings now you've ditched the dated world of cable. "But what about NBC?" you say? That's the Super Bowl channel this year. Don't sweat it, we've put together a few options on how to watch Rams vs Bengals on NBC directly on Apple TV. We'll help you find a live stream if you're outside of the US as well. A quick reminder, the Super Bowl kick-off is set for 6:30pm ET, 3:30pm PT, 11:30pm GMT tonight.

If you already have NBC as a part of a cable or a cord-cutting service, then put your feet up and your wallets away. Just download the NBC app on Apple TV and enjoy. What if you're coming in cold, as you mainly stream your content from Netflix and co nowadays? Perhaps you just want to dip your toe back into broadcast TV, and all the truck and insurance ads you can handle, for a Super Bowl live stream? We can help you out there. The options below come very, very cheap, or offer free trials (make sure NBC is available in your region before signing up though). The links are directly below, but we'll go into greater details about the trials and costs further down the page.

Apple Tv 4k 2021 Box Remote

Apple Tv 4k 2021 Box Remote (Image credit: Rene Ritchie)

Watch Super Bowl on Apple TV with these US apps

NBC is on the Peacock streaming service app which you can download on Apple TV. You'll only find NBC on Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus though. These tiers do not have a free trial option, but they're super cheap. Peacock Premium is a bargain at $4.99 a month and you can cancel at any time (straight after the game if you like). Or you can go for Peacock Premium Plus at $9.99 a month which ditches the ads and lets you watch some titles offline on mobile. Otherwise, both tiers are the same and will give you access to NBC's live stream of the Super Bowl on Apple TV or a host of other platforms via the apps. This is the simplest method for our money and one that won't get expensive if you forget to cancel after the game.

Fubo TV is an increasingly popular pick with cord-cutters and a channel-rich option to watch Super Bowl on Apple TV along with a heck of a lot more after. We like how the free trial hasn't been buried way down the home page as it has with Sling, so it feels a lot more transparent. It's more expensive than Sling TV Blue once the free period expires, but you can cancel way ahead of time thanks to the generous 7-day free trial window.

Sling TV is another cord-cutter fave for streaming services and is a great option for getting those broadcast TV channels back, but without the hassle of a lengthy contract. Scroll down the Sling TV landing page and you'll eventually see an option for a three-day free trial which will cover you for today's Super Bowl live stream on NBC. If you're considering one of the other plans highlighted on that page (you can save $10 off your first month right now), just make sure that package includes Sling Blue as that's the tier with NBC.

Watch Super Bowl outside of the USA

If you're currently outside of the US you can still use the above services via a VPN as that will make your phone, laptop, or tablet think it's in the USA, then you can just sign in as normal. Sadly, Apple TV doesn't have bespoke VPN apps yet (your Fire TV Stick does though if you have one of those too), so you'll need to use a different device. Our prefered option for overseas streaming is ExpressVPN. We've rated it as the best iPhone and iPad VPN and best Mac VPN out there (it's a top performer on other platforms too) and if you sign up for an annual deal then you'll get three months free and you can currently try it out risk free for 30-days.

Over in the UK, the Super Bowl will be live on the BBC on TV and also on the iPlayer app or website for free. This has global appeal for some as there are zero ads on the program. You'll get US commentary, then back to the BBC pundits in the studio instead of yet another truck advertisement. ExpressVPN will let you watch on the BBC from anywhere in the world when you set its location to the UK.

If you don't have an Apple TV, or maybe you just prefer your Roku, our friends over at Android Central have put together a Super Bowl Roku guide you might find useful too.

Brendan Griffiths