While we're no sporting experts, we do like to tune in to sporting matches here at Plusnet. With Super Bowl and Six Nations Rugby happening this February, there's plenty of reason to use your broadband to get your sports fix online. Read on now for our pick of must-watch fixtures and where to stream them for free …
Watch the Super Bowl, online, for free …
- Super Bowl: New England Patriots vs. New York Giants 5 February, Lucas Oil Stadium, 11.25 pm (GMT)
If you're looking to watch the Super Bowl live online, you're in luck. This year, for the first time ever, the NFL will stream the Super Bowl online and in HD. You can live-stream the game in HD via NFL.com and get additional coverage such as camera angles, on-demand replays and live stats ... and it's all free.In order to steam the Super Bowl, you'll need to have updated your web browser and downloaded the latest versions of Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash. We'd recommend you do this well in advance - as millions of people will probably try downloading at the last minute, just before the game starts.And you're probably best to check your browser allows web plug-ins for streaming video too.The BBC will also show Super Bowl coverage live from the States from 10.55 pm till 4 am on BBC Sport Interactive and BBC 1 this Sunday if you want to watch on TV. And you can listen in to BBC 5's live sports commentary on the BBC Sports website from 10.20 pm #bbcsuperbowl for free. If you don't fancy staying up into the small hours to get your NFL fix, you can watch the game free on BBC iPlayer from Monday as well.
Get your Six Nations fix online too
Most Six Nations fixtures fall in February, meaning it's a busy month if you're looking to catch Rugby Union matches online. If you're into your rugby, then make sure you watch live on the BBC Sport website or listen in to BBC Sport's live commentary feeds - it's free. And you can stream each game on iPlayer for up to a week after its live showing. Just add the following fixtures to your diary so you'll never miss a match:
- Six Nations: France vs. Italy 4 February, Stade de France, 2.30 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: Scotland vs. England 4 February, Murrayfield, 5 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: Italy vs. England 11 February, Stadio Olimpico, 4 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: Wales vs. Scotland 12 February, Millennium Stadium, 3 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: Ireland vs. Italy 25 February, Aviva Stadium, 4 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: England vs. Wales 25 February, Twickenham, 4 pm (GMT)
- Six Nations: Scotland vs. France 26 February, Murrayfield, 3 pm (GMT)
The streaming dos and don'ts you'll need to avoid any fouls
Before you stream anything online, it's always advisable that you check the data and broadband speed you'll need so you can stream without stalling or incurring any extra data charges. The data allowance and connection speeds required will vary depending on what you watch, how long you watch and the site you stream from, so always make sure you double-check before you get clicking. If you think you'll be watching more sport than usual - and who could blame you, seeing as it's a busy month? - it could be worth upgrading to Plusnet Extra which comes with a 60GB peak-time usage allowance. If you'd like to upgrade to Plusnet Extra, go to the Plusnet Member Centre, log into your account and click on 'Product Change.' Remember, with Plusnet, your overnight data usage (between midnight and 8 am) doesn't count towards your monthly allowance, so you can stream away to your heart’s content. It's especially handy if you're watching the Super Bowl coverage - as that goes on till 4 am. You can also use our Product Change tool to upgrade to superfast fibre optic broadband too, if it's available in your area. Fibre's great for streaming in HD, especially if more than one person in your household wants to use the internet at the same time to download movies, play games or surf the web. It also comes with twice the usage allowance that Plusnet Extra offers. Will you be streaming the Super Bowl or the Six Nations? Have you got any sports streaming tips you'd like to share?