5 AND PARAMOUNT PARTNER WITH NFL TO BRING UK VIEWERS WEEKLY NFL GAMES LIVE IN PRIMETIME AND SUPER BOWL LX FREE-TO-AIR
Live NFL games will be broadcast in primetime on free-to-air TV, with two Sunday evening games on 5 and 5ACTION throughout season as part of new multi-year deal
Dermot O’Leary, Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora to host the coverage, which will include a new play-along entertainment format aimed at family audiences, produced by Hungry Bear Media
5 to broadcast Super Bowl LX as well as UK and Ireland NFL games free-to-air
Wider NFL partnership with Paramount and CBS Sports to include the return of Slimetime on Nickelodeon
5 and Paramount UK today announced a major new multi-year partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and CBS Sports to bring live coverage of the NFL season free-to-air to UK viewers.
Every week through the NFL season, two Sunday evening games will be broadcast; the first at 6pm on 5 and the second at 9pm on 5ACTION – which will be branded as
5NFL for game nights. Both games will also be streamed live.
The broadcaster will also show the
Super Bowl free-to-air in the UK. In addition, it will broadcast NFL London and Dublin international games, as well as Thanksgiving Day specials and three playoff games.
NFL BIG GAME NIGHT
NFL coverage on 5 will kick off at 5:30pm on game nights, hosted by Dermot O’Leary, with Sam Quek and double-Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. 5 is partnering with leading entertainment producer, Hungry Bear Media, on a new play-along entertainment format which will air around the 6pm games, designed to appeal to a Sunday early-evening family audience.
‘NFL: Big Game Night’ is a completely new way to enjoy watching the greatest show on turf. Each week, Dermot will be joined by Sam and Osi in a purpose-built studio for an entertainment format that runs alongside the big NFL Game of the Week at 6pm on 5.
Whenever the NFL game stops in the US, 5 will keep going with the fun and games – in the form of the unique ‘game within a game’. Two teams of friends and family in the UK will battle for prizes in a series of games that are fast, furious and fun. They will be representing the two teams playing that night and can only score points when their team has the ball – so they’d better hope their team doesn’t fumble in the Big Game, or the other team could snatch up their chance to win. 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.
From Hungry Bear Media – the team behind Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Big Show and Gladiators – ‘NFL: Big Game Night’ is a riotous, family-friendly mix of world class sport and world class entertainment.
WIDER SUPPORT FROM PARAMOUNT’S FAMILY OF BRANDS
In addition to the live game coverage and new entertainment format, there will be supporting programming across the wider Paramount UK family of brands. This includes the return of the industry-leading kids and family NFL show,
Slimetime UK (Season 3) on Nickelodeon in 2026. The show will be produced by Paramount Brand Studio International.
Coverage of 5’s NFL package will be supported by a nationwide marketing campaign.
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.”
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.”
Dermot 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.”
Sam 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.”
Osi 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.”
Watch/stream on 5 and 5ACTION from Sunday 7th September, from 5.30pm
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Paramount’s Channel 5 Unveils Super Bowl Plans For UK Coverage
Paramount’s Channel 5 (now 5) has unveiled plans for coverage of its first Super Bowl in more than 20 years.
5 has taken over American football coverage in the UK this season and will broadcast live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA for the New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks NFL title game beginning at 10.30 p.m. GMT on Sunday.
Super Bowl LX Commercials Featuring Famous Faces: From Sabrina Carpenter To Bowen Yang
The biggest night in American sport will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Sam Quek, who will be joined by NFL stars providing punditry and analysis throughout the game. 5 will also air the halftime show featuring multi-Grammy winner Bad Bunny before finishing with the post-match on-field celebrations including the Lombardi Trophy lift. Troy Hawke will be greeting the great and good of the American football world direct from the NFL Honors ceremony, while TikTok star Ellie Evelyn will be back on home soil, speaking to some of the UK’s biggest NFL fans.
The Super Bowl will also be shown on Sky but has had a free-to-air home in the UK for years. For the previous four years the game was shown on ITV. It was last on Channel 5 in 2004.
Channel 5 has been showing two NFL games per week this season under the pact between Paramount UK, the NFL and CBS Sports. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however, with fans taking aim at the decision to gamify its coverage when it first started airing in September.
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Originally published: August 29, 2025.
