What Time Does The Super Bowl Start? Actual Kickoff Time And TV Pregame Schedule

Hundreds of millions of television viewers around the world will plop down to watch Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, when the New England Patriots face Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

It’s the biggest football extravaganza of the year, but it’s not like the NFL just sends out the two top teams from the NFC and AFC. There’s hours upon hours of coverage before the game, and this year the broadcast duties fall to NBC.

Starting with the pregame show, here’s a full schedule of the day’s events.

12 - 4 P.M. ET: The day starts with the pre-game show, hosted by Emmy winner Bob Costas along with Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Peter King, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Jos Elliott all contributing. Elliott also has an interview with halftime performer and pop sensation Katy Perry.

Carolyn Manno and Randy Moss will provide reports from each teams’ hotel, and former quarterback Doug Flutie will also appear.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will also be an analyst, working with NBC’s regular team of Patrick, Dungy and Harrison.

The show will also include pre-taped interviews with both quarterbacks, New England’s Tom Brady and Seattle’s Russell Wilson. Costas will sit down with the Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Seattle receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse are also featured.

And after their successful and highly touted work during the Triple Crown races last year, former ice skating champions Tara Lapinksi and Johnny Weir will attend a live tailgate party and interact with the wives of Patriots and Seahawks players.

4 P.M. ET: Veteran reporter Savannah Guthrie will have a live interview with President Barack Obama.

6 P.M. ET: In a small half hour window we’re almost there, with the national anthem and coin toss for first possession taking place at this time.

6:30 P.M. ET: After six hours of pre-game coverage, Idina Menzel’s rendition of the national anthem, and coin toss, the Super Bowl will kick off. Michaels and Collinsworth will call the game, with Tafoya working the sidelines.

8 P.M. ET: The exact start of Perry’s halftime show can’t be properly calculated since it all depends on how the first two quarters of the game play out, but between 7:30 and 8 P.M. is a reasonable estimate. Perry will likely sing some of her huge hits like “Roar” and “Dark Horse.”

8:30 P.M. ET: The halftime show will wrap up, and the second half should begin around 8:30 P.M.

10-10:30 P.M. ET: Unless the game heads to overtime, we should know the Super Bowl champion around this time. No Super Bowl has ever needed an extra period, and last year’s was 43-8 blowout in favor of Seattle.

10:30-11 P.M. ET: Again, depending on when the game wraps up, NBC will immediately cut to a brand new episode of its hit show “The Blacklist,” starring James Spader.