Super Bowl 2025 In 4K: You Have Questions, We Have Answers!

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, I know that the Super Bowl is in 4K but I am totally confused about how to watch it, where to watch it and so on and so on. Can you give us a guide of some kind? Thank You!! – Renee, Lubbock, Texas.

Renee, I feel your pain. This site is dedicated to making television easy again and watching a live sporting event in 4K is certainly not easy, particularly if you are not familiar with the latest TV technology features and products. So let me try to provide some simple guidance to watching Sunday’s Super Bowl in 4K.

Will Super Bowl 2025 Be Available In 4K?
Yes, Fox, which has the broadcast rights to the Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles game from the Superdome in New Orleans, has announced that it will provide an upscaled 4K feed as well as one in High-Definition.

What Is Upscaled 4K?
Fox’s 4K live sports broadcasts are upscaled from 1080p HDR (High Dynamic Range). Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. Fox takes the 1080p HDR signal and converts it to a 4K format. Upscaling 4K is not considered as good as native 4K, but the inclusion of HDR can offer heightened colors and vividness. ESPN and most other networks that offer 4K programming also upscale their 4K broadcasts from a 1080p HD signal.

Is It Worth Watching the Super Bowl In Upscaled 4K?
Yes. From personal experience, I can assure you the upscaled 4K picture is usually better than a High-Definition picture. The high-def image from a Fox affiliate sometimes lacks detail and makes you wonder if it’s actually in high-def. However, the 4K image removes the blurriness and adds a realistic feel to the picture.

How Can I Watch the Super Bowl In 4K?
Tubi, the Fox-owned free streaming service, will stream the Super Bowl in upscaled 4K for free. (You can download the Tubi app from app stores such as Google Play and Apple’s iTunes. Tubi is also available on the web at Tubi.com)

However, there are some requirements to watch the Tubi 4K stream on Sunday. For starters, of course, you will need a 4K TV. But you won’t be able to watch the game in 4K on just any 4K TV or 4K-enabled streaming device. A Fox spokesperson tells the TV Answer Man that the Tubi 4K stream of the Super Bowl will be available on the following devices and TVs:

Android TVs
Roku 4K-enabled streaming devices
Amazon Fire TV 4K-enabled devices
Apple TV 4K devices

And that’s it.

That means that 4K TVs which have Android TV software, such as select sets from Sony, TCL, Hisense, Philips, Sharp and Toshiba, will be able to stream the game in 4K using the Tubi app. If your streaming device uses Android TV software, that should work, too, even if it’s not listed above.

However, if your set does not have Android TV software, it will not be able to stream the game in 4K unless you use a compatible 4K-enabled streaming device such as Roku or Fire TV. Television models that do not use Android TV include LG, which uses its own webOS software, and Samsung, which uses the Tizen TV software. Vizio also uses a proprietary software.

To make matters even more complicated, not all companies that use Android TV employ it in all sets. If you’re unsure if your set is an Android TV, you can check in your TV’s Settings or your manual.

If you don’t have a compatible device or set to watch the game in 4K on Tubi, you will still be able to watch it for free on Tubi in high-def.

Is There Anything Else I Need to Do to Watch Tubi’s 4K Broadcast?
Yes. Here are the four steps to watching the game on Tubi.

1. Download the Tubi app
First, you need to download the Tubi app from Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or your Smart TV’s app marketplace, or go to tubitv.com on a web browser.

2. Create a free Tubi account
Second, you have to create a free Tubi account if you don’t already have one. This is different from how you can normally watch Tubi’s free programming. Tubi allows you to watch shows and movies without registration. But for the Super Bowl, Tubi is requiring you to sign up.

3. Get a compatible device
Third, you will need a compatible streaming device or Smart TV. Tubi says the Super Bowl will be available for free on the following devices: Roku, iPhone, Android Mobile, Web, XBox One, Cox, Comcast/Xfinity, Vizio, LGTV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, FireTV, and Android TV. If you don’t have one of those products, you will not be able to stream the game for free.

4. Click the Super Bowl link on the Tubi homepage
Fourth, on Super Bowl day (February 9, 2025), there will be a link on the Tubi homepage that will take you to the game stream. Click on the link and you’re good to go.

Last point: Make sure your Tubi app is updated to the latest version.

Will Tubi Show the Regular Super Bowl Ads?
Yes. Tubi, which will offer both a 4K feed and a HD stream, will show the same commercials that you would see if you watched the game on Fox. The broadcast, including the announcers and other programming, will also be the same. (Local ads, of course, will vary by network affiliate.)

Will the Super Bowl On Streaming Experience Buffering?
It’s possible. In 2024, numerous fans of nearly every (if not every) streaming service reported streaming issues with the Super Bowl. Downdetector.com, the site which tracks online outages, reported that scores of thousands of people were posting concerns about their Super Bowl stream during the game. CBS did the game last year while Fox has it this year. But all networks have experienced streaming snafus during high-profile live broadcasts.

In addition, many viewers who streamed the 2024 Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers noticed that the real time action was far ahead of the streams on live streaming services such as YouTube TV, FuboTV and Hulu Live. Phenix, a company which sells technology designed to shorten streaming delays, noticed the same thing. Phenix’s Sunday survey of Super Bowl streamers found that:

Fubo’s stream was 86.75 seconds behind the real time action;
Hulu Live’s was 70.16 second behind;
ViX was 63,46 seconds behind;
NFL Plus was 61.45 seconds behind;
DIRECTV Stream was 60.62 seconds behind;
YouTube TV was 55.54 seconds behind;
Paramount Plus was 42.73 seconds behind.

Live streaming delays have become almost an accepted element these days. Companies need more time to transmit a live stream due to greater technical complexity and other issues.

The good news is that the Fox Sports app in 2023 was able to stream the game with a smaller delay in part because it received the signal directly from the network’s command center. That bodes well for the Fox Sports stream this year. However, the live streaming services carry the local affiliate signal which takes longer to process.

To combat this problem, YouTube TV has added a feature to shorten delays. See our article on this. If you’re choosing a live streamer based on delays, YouTube TV might be your answer.

Bottom line: If you watch the Super Bowl this year via streaming, you need to be prepared in case your picture goes awry, particularly if you’re hosting a viewer party. If you have cable or satellite, have the remote ready just in case.

Is There Anything I Can Do to Stop Buffering?
If Fox’s servers have an issue, there’s not much you can do except wait until they fix it. But there are some things the home user can do to improve a video stream. Here’s our article explaining how.

Can I Watch the Super Bowl In 4K Without Tubi?
Yes. In addition to the Tubi 4K feed, the following TV providers will carry the Super Bowl’s 4K broadcast on special 4K channels: DIRECTV, Dish, Sling TV, Comcast, Cox, Verizon, Optimum, DIRECTV Stream, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. (In FuboTV markets where the Fox affiliate is provided with your programming package.) Check your on-screen guide and provider for more details.

Will Anyone Else Show the Super Bowl In 4K?
Yes. Charter’s Spectrum TV, which has never offered 4K programming on its cable receivers, will provide a unique way of delivering the 4K Super Bowl to select customers. Bret Picciolo, Charter’s vice president of communications, tells The TV Answer Man that customers who have the company’s Xumo streaming device will be able to watch the Super Bowl in 4K, assuming they have a 4K TV, a connected HDMI cable (2.1 or higher) and the Xumo device set to a picture resolution of 2160p.

How Will Spectrum TV’s 4K Super Bowl Work?
A Xumo user can watch the game in 4K via the Spectrum TV app in the device’s menu. After clicking on the app, you then go to Fox in the on-screen guide where a message will display that will direct you to a 4K channel in your lineup that will show the Super Bowl. Picciolo said the channel is not Tubi, the Fox-owned free streaming service which will offer the game in 4K. This will be a different 4K channel that is part of the Spectrum TV app, he said.

The Xumo streaming device, which was developed by Charter and Comcast, is designed to replace the traditional cable set-top and was first introduced by the cable operators in late 2023. It’s unclear how many Spectrum TV subscribers actually have one compared to a regular cable receiver. However, if you are a Spectrum TV subscriber who has the Xumo, you can get the game in 4K.

What About Watching the Game In 4K On an Antenna Or the Regular Fox Channel?
No and no to both questions. The Fox 4K broadcast of the Super Bowl will not be available via a signal from a TV antenna. You also can not watch the game in 4K by tuning in to the regular 4K channel. Your TV provider will need to provide it on a special 4K channel.

Is YouTube TV Offering the Game In 4K For Free?
YouTube TV, the multi-channel live streaming service, is offering this Sunday’s Super Bowl in 4K for free to new users of its 4K Plus add-on plan. The plan, which is necessary for YouTube TV subscribers to watch live NFL football and college sports in 4K, normally must be purchased for $9.99 a month in addition to YouTube TV’s base plan for $82.99 a month. However, the streamer is now providing 4K Plus for free for 30 days if you are a new user of the plan.

Any Special 4K Features I Should Know About?
Comcast and Dolby have announced that Xfinity TV will offer this Sunday’s Super Bowl 2025 in both Dolby Vision 4K and Dolby Atmos. That will be a Comcast exclusive. The cable operator has previously provided the Super Bowl in Dolby Vision but this is the first time it will broadcast the big game with Dolby Atmos which allows sound designers to place sounds anywhere in the room. This means that sounds can come from above, below, and all around you, creating a more realistic and immersive audio experience. Dolby Vision, which was also developed by Dolby Laboratories, can enhance the picture quality using High Dynamic Range (HDR). That provides a wider color gamut and improved brightness and contrast.

See this article on how to watch the game in Dolby Vision on Comcast.

Renee, hope this helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about a favorite show, streaming service or new TV technology? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch  television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.