This is the United States calling, are we reaching?
The Bills-Jaguars game on Sunday morning (9:30 a.m. Eastern) from London will be produced by CBS Sports and streamcast by Yahoo. The game will not be televised by the network or on the NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV. Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon will announce the game. Terry McAulay and his crew are officiating.
Here is your guide to the options for tuning in the game live:
- Local television. Because the NFL has a mandate that all games be broadcast on local television in the teams’ home markets, WIVB in Buffalo and WJAX in Jacksonville will air the game. The secondary markets of these teams — such as Orlando; Rochester, N.Y.; and Erie, Pa. — will not have an over-the-air broadcast. In the UK, the game will be broadcast by BBC2 with Nat Coombs handling the announcing duties (h/t Simon Ryan). Every other location on the globe will need to resort to a free streaming option below.
- Web browser. Watch the game on your computer by going to nflstream.yahoo.com.
- Yahoo apps. Your portable device will be able to show the game through the following Yahoo apps: Yahoo Sports (preferred method), Yahoo, Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Tumblr, or Yahoo Screen (in the Popular channel) as well as through the web browser. These apps are not available on phones or tablets running on the Windows operating system, nor it is available on the flippy-tile user interface for desktops and laptops on Windows 8 and up. You will have to use the web browser in those cases.
- Smart TVs and connected devices. The stream will be available through the Yahoo app on these devices: Amazon Fire TV, AppleTV (download Yahoo app from the app store if not available), Chromecast, Roku, Samsung televisions (update software from support menu first), TiVo, Vizio P-Series televisions, Xbox One (using the NFL app), or Xbox 360. Detailed help with any of these devices can be found here.
- HDMI cable. If your TV and your laptop have an available HDMI port, you can wire them up, too (In some cases, you might be able to use a VGA cable.)
If your TV is more or less squarish, then you are likely watching not watching this game on it. There is also no app available on the DirecTV box (at least on the models I have, although I am sure at one time there was). This is oddly reminiscent of the era where the mandatory blackout policies, even for sold-out games, had football fans scrambling for extraordinary means to watch games. The iconic image of a couple (and their dog) watching the 1962 NFL Championship in the freezing cold at a motel right off the Merritt Parkway in Stratford, Conn., may be a stretch nowadays, but many fans are going to have to be resourceful if they are interested in watching the game.
Please feel free to add your legal hacks to get the game on your preferred device in the comments below.
Images: Wembley Stadium in London prior to last year’s game with the Steelers and Vikings (Sean Ryan/NFL); John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Teams should NOT be playing overseas. They don’t care for football in a soccer crazed world. And they’re cheating the teams’ fans out of seeing the games in person.
If you are in the UK it’s very simple, easy and free. The BBC is carrying the game on BBC2. COMPLETELY free. Able to view from EVERY hotel, home or smartphone.
The argument about whether the teams should play outside of the USA is a global one. The English Premier League is now the biggest sports brand/league in the world. Merchandising sales are not as sophisticated as the major US franchise-driven sports leagues, but (cumulatively) they are larger and eating into the market share of the North american leagues.
As for not caring? I’ve been around the sport for 30 years in the UK and more of my conversations with relative newcomers to the sport are “why are they doing this?” instead of “what are they doing?”.
I am a Brit and like Simon, I have been involved passionately with football (not the round variety) for over 30 years. I’ve played in the UK, started in 1984, I’ve coached at junior and senior level and I now officiate. I’ve been to 4 super bowls and been to every regular season game held in London.
So yes we care.
“This is the United States calling, are we reaching?”
Thanks for the unexpected, but welcome, Pink Floyd reference!