5 to air Super Bowl LX & Sunday fixtures in expanded NFL deal

5 will be the free-to-air home of the Super Bowl this year, after expanding its deal with the NFL. 

The broadcaster previously showed Monday Night Football and the NFL End Zone show, but will onw instead air two Sunday evening fixtures live as well as the UK and Ireland international matches, Thanksgiving Day specials and three playoff games. 

Perhaps most notably, it will show the showpiece Super Bowl LX, which had been on ITV last time round. 

The Sunday evening games will kick off at 6pm and 9pm, with differing wrap-around content for each. The 6pm game will be shown on the main 5 channel, and combined with entertainment format, NFL: Big Game Night. Starting at 5:30pm, this will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary, with Sam Quek and double-Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora in a purpose-built studio. 

Whenever the NFL game stops in the US, 5 will continue with a “game within a game”, where two teams of friends and family in the UK will battle for prizes in a series of games. 

They will be representing the two teams playing that night and can only score points when their team has the ball and the winning team on the night will play one final game where they have the chance to win a holiday to an NFL city in the United States. 

Following this, the 9pm fixture will be shown on 5ACTION, which will be rebranded to 5NFL. Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora will host a more traditional programme with football discussion, game analysis and commentary, and be joined by special guests each week. 

5’s coverage is produced by Hungry Bear Media, with Dan Baldwin and Luke Shiach as exec producers for the production company. It is producing both the sport coverage and the entertainment show, with this being the first sport commission for the company which has previously worked on the likes of Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Big Show, and Gladiators. 

This programming will be supported by a nationwide marketing campaign, as well as shoulder programming with the wider Paramount UK family of brands. This includes the return of kids and family NFL show, Slimetime UK (Season 3) on Nickelodeon in 2026. The show will be produced by Paramount Brand Studio International.

Ben Frow, chief content officer at Paramount UK, said: “5 continues to grow its sport offering and this partnership with the NFL represents a real step forward, bringing fans and families live games in primetime, all completely free-to-air.

“NFL: Big Game Night’ is a bold new format that brings the thrill of live sport together with the fun of play-along entertainment.”

Gerrit Meier, managing director and head of NFL International, said: “This new partnership with 5 and Paramount UK marks a significant step in bringing more NFL coverage on a weekly basis to the UK than ever before.  

“The NFL brings people together, through both a sport and entertainment lens, and the live game coverage and ‘NFL: Big Game Night’ format will engage fans and invite newcomers to enjoy the sport as we look to continue to grow fandom in the UK.” 

Laura Louisy, director of international business development and media at Paramount UK, said: “With free-to-air games every Sunday night at 6pm and 9pm plus international games, playoff games and Super Bowl LX, as well as the exciting new entertainment format ‘NFL: Big Game Night,’ we’re continuing to increase access to NFL content for fans across the UK.”

Dan Baldwin, managing director at Hungry Bear Media, said: “We are all delighted to team up with 5 and the NFL for Big Game Night. Get ready to watch sport but in a totally new and exciting way. The mixture of American Football and entertainment will be a huge hit with the audience.”

O’Leary said: “I’m really excited about hosting Big Game Night – the show combines two of my big loves: entertainment television and American football. I think it will be a really fun, silly and brilliant way to watch the game so I hope people enjoy it.”

Quek said: “I can’t wait to kick off this new adventure with the NFL on 5! Sharing that excitement every Sunday night with Dermot and Osi is going to be brilliant. The mix of top-class sport and big entertainment is the perfect way for families, fans and newcomers to get involved. I’m so excited to get started.”

Umenyiora said: “The NFL is growing faster than ever in the UK and I’m thrilled to continue playing a part in that expansion by bringing it to a new home on 5.  These shows will give returning fans the insight they love while introducing viewers to the excitement of the game.  It’s incredible to see the NFL becoming a truly global sport and inspiring more fans than ever.”