Love it or hate it, you can’t escape the Super Bowl. It is the world’s second most-watched annual sporting event after the UEFA Champion’s League final. Last years' Super Bowl peaked at 120.8 million viewers.
What makes it unique is its cult legacy. It’s not just about a 60 minute game of American Football, but the peripheral entertainment which adds to the occasion, such as the half-time concert and the famously expensive adverts.
Details
Name Super Bowl 50 Teams Carolina Panthers v Denver Broncos
Stadium Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
When Monday, February 8, 2016 Time 3.30am (time and date: UAE)
Game length 60 minutes, split into four quarters of 15 minutes
TV schedule OSN Sports HD2 and BeIn Sports will be providing coverage.
Alternatively, you can watch the entire event online at home by purchasing a pass here.
What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the annual championship face-off between the play-off winning teams from each of America’s two major football leagues: National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC).
Can the Denver Broncos take their third win?
This year, the NFC is represented by the Carolina Panthers and the AFC is represented by the Denver Broncos.
Home team
The “home” team designation runs in alternate years. AFC teams are “home” sides in the even-numbered Super Bowls, while NFC teams are “home” in odd-numbered matches.
The Carolina Panthers have never won the Super Bowl
Teams
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have never won the Super Bowl, and have only reached the Big Game once previously, losing 32-29 to the New England Patriots in 2004. They are one of the newest franchises in the NFL, having only started in 1995.
They are the in-form team, having won 15 games and losing only once in the NFC South division and play-offs. Their star player is Cam Newton, and he will be looking to lead the Panthers to their first ever Super Bowl win.
The Panther's star Cam Newton is hoping to become a poster boy
Denver Broncos
The Broncos go into Super Bowl 50 looking for the third Big Game win in their history, to complement their stunning back-to-back wins in 1997 and 1998. They beat the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in 1997, before thumping the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 the following year.
They beat the New England Patriots 20-18 to advance to the Super Bowl. The team will be looking to star quarterback Peyton Manning to lead them to victory, after the upset of being hammered 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl KLVIII in 2013.
The Broncos' Peyton Manning is looking for a career high
Head-to-head
Both teams have performed well in their respective conferences. Use our interactive graph to see how their seasons compare.
Entertainment
Half-time show
There have been so many music legends who have performed during the famous half-time shows over the years that it’s hard to choose the stand-out acts. So we’ll just leave you with these names: Bruce Springstein, Prince, Gloria Estefan, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross.
Katy Perry performs during last year's half-time show
This year’s famous half-time show will be performed by British pop-rock band Coldplay. Chris Martin’s outfit has hinted that his band will be joined on stage by none-other than Bruno Mars and a little-known starlet called… Beyonce.
If you’re not into the sport, then make sure you tune into the 12-minute half-time set as it’s sure to be legendary.
Adverts
It is alien to most, but the importance of adverts during the Super Bowl has become something of a tradition. Companies will spend over $2 million just for a small slot in the pre-game commercial line-up.
The adverts themselves even become part of the occasion, with panellists dissecting and reviewing them. There is even a special website designed just for them!
This year you can expect to be wowed between touchdowns by LG, Colgate toothpaste, Weather Tech car mats, and Persil ProClean laundry detergent.
The LG ad is of particular note as it has been directed by Jake Scott, son of legendary director Ridley Scott (who directed a Super Bowl ad for Apple in the eighties). This commercial features Liam Neeson. Yes, the Liam Neeson.
Alec Baldwin and Dan Marino exchange ideas for their Super Bowl party
Amazon is also in the line-up, and they’ve gone even further by employing NFL legend Dan Marino and grumpy Hollywood A-Lister Alex Baldwin.
Two teaser trailers have already been released to give us a morsel of what to expect.
Movie trailers
The Super Bowl commercial breaks are also the favoured opportunity for Hollywood to release new theatrical trailers for up-coming movies.
You can find out what to expect here.
Johnny Depp and Helna Bonham Carter are back in Wonderland
