9 Channels Will Air Super Bowl LXI, and Star Wars Is Involved
This week, ESPN announced that Super Bowl LXI will feature a Star Wars-themed alternate telecast on Disney Channel and Disney XD. The animated presentation will drop the live game straight into George Lucas’s Star Wars universe.
That brings the total to nine U.S. TV channels showing the Big Game in some form. Fans can also stream the action through ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and NFL+, though NFL+’s standard live-game streams are limited to phones and tablets.
And no, these aren’t nine copies of the same broadcast. Between the traditional telecast, two Spanish-language productions, and several alternate presentations, ESPN is pulling out all the stops. Here’s what viewers can expect from each one.
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Super Bowl LXI is heading to a galaxy far, far away
For some tuning in, Super Bowl LXI will take a detour through hyperspace on February 14, 2027. “Star Wars Funday Football” will recreate every play with animated NFL players, familiar galactic faces, and plenty of Easter eggs. The telecast will air on Disney Channel and Disney XD, with streaming available on Disney+ and the ESPN app.
C-3PO is already confirmed, with original actor Anthony Daniels returning to voice the droid, while R2-D2 joins him in the teaser. The rest of the character lineup is still under wraps, but Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and Grogu would be welcome additions. Personally, I’m hoping for a Kit Fisto appearance.
ESPN has already brought animated NFL games into the worlds of “Toy Story,” “The Simpsons,” and “Monsters, Inc.” But this will mark the company’s first animated alternate telecast of a Super Bowl.
The timing couldn’t be better for Disney, either. A restored version of the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” returns to theaters just five days after the game as part of the franchise’s 50th-anniversary celebration. Ryan Gosling’s “Star Wars: Starfighter” follows on May 28, 2027. That’s quite the runway for building some galactic hype.
ESPN has even more Super Bowl alt-casts up its sleeve
ESPN airing its first Super Bowl was already a big deal. The network will share its traditional broadcast with ABC, featuring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call. But Disney apparently decided one presentation wasn’t nearly enough.
Its sprawling coverage is even frustrating some local ABC affiliates, who worry the additional viewing options will draw audiences and advertising revenue away from their stations, according to CNBC.
ESPN2 will feature Peyton and Eli Manning’s signature “ManningCast” treatment. ESPNU gets “Super Bowl LXI Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show,” while NFL Network will air the analytics-heavy “Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats.” ESPN Deportes will also carry its own Spanish-language broadcast.
At this point, The Walt Disney Company is having itself a full-blown brand-apalooza. I’m half-expecting FX to unveil an “American Horror Story” alt-cast and Hulu to recruit the Kardashians for halftime analysis. Of course, I’m mostly kidding here.
All told, Super Bowl LXI will air on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, NFL Network, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and ESPN Deportes. That’s eight channels right there. And Univision brings the grand total to nine.
Univision is joining the Super Bowl party, too
Univision will air the Super Bowl for just the second time in its history. The Spanish-language network first carried the game in 2024 and is returning for Super Bowl LXI through a deal ESPN and TelevisaUnivision announced in May.
And Univision won’t just carry ESPN Deportes’ feed. Both networks will produce their own Spanish-language broadcasts, complete with separate commentary teams. It’s a similar setup to Super Bowl LIX, when Fox Deportes and Telemundo offered distinct broadcasts en Español.
The Super Bowl’s streaming lineup gives you options
With nine TV channels airing Super Bowl LXI, cable, satellite, and live TV streaming providers will have plenty of coverage. Exactly which broadcasts you get depends on your package’s channel lineup, especially if you’re after a specific alt-cast.
For viewers who’d rather stream directly, the three services below offer different ways to tune in.
ESPN Unlimited will stream Super Bowl LXI and ESPN’s alt-broadcasts through the ESPN app, from the “ManningCast” to “Star Wars Funday Football.”
Disney+ will stream the Star Wars alt-cast alongside the traditional English-language telecast and ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language broadcast. All U.S. subscribers can tune in without an ESPN Unlimited subscription.
NFL+ lets subscribers watch Super Bowl LXI live on phones and tablets. It’s a convenient option for watching on the go, but its standard live-game streams aren’t available on connected TVs.
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