Fox has revealed some major broadcast plans for the upcoming Super Bowl.
According to an announcement made by the network on Wednesday, Fox will stream Super Bowl LIX live on its free ad-supported television (FAST) platform Tubi. It will be the first time Tubi has aired a live sporting event of this magnitude. Fox plans to stream the broadcast in 4K on the platform.
Tubi has previously served as a platform for some of Fox’s sports properties, but has rarely aired live games. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Tubi housed replays of every match shortly after they concluded. The upcoming Super Bowl will certainly test the technical capabilities of the growing streamer.
While Tubi has a growing list of sports-centric FAST channels available on the platform, those channels typically do not air live sports. Per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, Tubi aired some World Baseball Classic games two years ago, and the occasional one-off international soccer game. Tubi also experimented with some live college football games last season.
According to Mollie Cahillane of Sports Business Journal, Tubi’s audience will be measured by Nielsen.
Fans watching on Tubi will receive a separate pregame show from those watching the traditional broadcast. Model and actress Olivia Culpo will host Tubi Red Carpet at Super Bowl LIX starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.
In addition to livestreaming The Big Game on Tubi, Fox also announced plans for its broadcast network on the Friday prior to the Super Bowl. On Friday, February 7th, Fox will preempt its normal daytime programming for what it is dubbing a “takeover” from FS1.
Beginning at noon ET, Fox will air FS1 studio programming starting with First Things First hosted by Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes. The Facility with Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, James Jones, and Chase Daniel will follow at 1 p.m. ET. Then Speak with Joy Taylor, Keyshawn Johnson, and Paul Pierce at 2 p.m. ET. Breakfast Ball with Craig Carton, Mark Schlereth, and Danny Parkins at 3 p.m. ET. And finally The Herd with Colin Cowherd at 4 p.m. ET.
Fox’s studio setup, specifically whether their shows are on-site and open to the public, will be interesting as the network faces a bombshell workplace misconduct lawsuit that implicates one (and names one other) talent that will be appearing during this “takeover.” The network reportedly does not want any “distractions” spurred by the lawsuit during Super Bowl week.
Fox plans to release complete details surrounding its Super Bowl LIX programming plans at a later date.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.