British sports viewers are no strangers to choice. For the FA Cup final, or England at a major tournament, we are often presented with the same match on two channels and invited to decide how we wish to consume it.

In theory, this is a triumph of plurality. In practice, it is a foregone conclusion. The BBC is selected; ITV is tolerated only by those who enjoy shouting at the television.

Super Bowl 60 offers a rare variation on this familiar theme. For once, British viewers of American sport will have a genuine choice: Channel 5 for free, Sky Sports behind a paywall, and DAZN lurking in the digital margins. We can swiftly remove DAZN from consideration. Its negligible UK audience, combined with the catastrophic mishandling of the Club World Cup, has rendered it a broadcasting pariah. Few viewers are likely to forgive, let alone return.
That leaves the real contest: Channel 5 versus Sky Sports.

Channel 5’s coverage is fronted by the genial Dermot O’Leary, a broadcaster of vast experience and indisputable warmth. He has hosted everything from Big Brother to the Brit Awards and appears to have presented every daytime programme ITV has ever commissioned. Alongside him are Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora, a double Super Bowl winner, in a programme branded as “Big Game Night”. The tone is convivial, the atmosphere informal, and the intention clear: this is a watch-along rather than a masterclass. Celebrity guests drift in and out — Daniel Sturridge most recently — and the coverage leans heavily on NFL Network’s feed, complete with a persistently audible studio audience that seems determined to remind us that this is entertainment first and sport second.

Sky Sports, by contrast, treats the Super Bowl as exactly what it is: the pinnacle of a global sport. Its coverage is anchored by Neil Reynolds, one of the few genuinely authoritative voices on American football in the UK. He is supported by a consistently strong cast of analysts, Jason Bell offers unequaled enthusiasm, while the rest, including Jeff Reinebold, Shaun Gayle and Rob Ryan, are bolstered by the excellent Phoebe Schecter — a former NFL coach and Great Britain international — alongside host Hannah Wilkes, who also fronts the Her Huddle NFL podcast. This is a team that understands the game, respects its audience, and explains complexity without condescension.

The production is slick and professional, drawing from (in this case) NBC’s host broadcast while minimising intrusive advertising — albeit sometimes at the cost of on-field interviews. The analysis is informed, the commentary precise, and the overall experience feels tailored to viewers who know, or want to know, what they are watching.

The difference between the two offerings is not merely one of budget or polish, but of philosophy. Sky Sports assumes an intelligent, invested audience. Channel 5 assumes curiosity, novelty and perhaps mild confusion. One is a seminar; the other a party with pizza and people asking what a down is.

The conclusion, then, is straightforward. Sky Sports offers superior coverage for committed NFL fans who want insight, expertise and seriousness. Channel 5 provides an accessible gateway for the once-a-year viewer, or those peering quizzically across the Atlantic at the latest spectacle from Trumpland.

Choice is a luxury. This time, at least, it is a meaningful one.