Britons Tune In Super Bowl for a Jolly Good Show
LONDON — When the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins take the field for Super Bowl XIX at Stanford Stadium today, millions of Britons will be watching their television sets for the climax to the American pro football season.
Although the game in California runs into the early hours of Monday morning British time, gridiron fans up and down the country will sacrifice a night’s sleep for the excitement of watching the championship of the National Football League.
For the third-straight year, the independent Channel 4 will be showing the Super Bowl live, starting with a one-hour preview, then picking up ABC’s coverage by satellite.
Altogether, the station will be showing more than five hours of pro football, almost matching the air time given in May to the F.A. Cup Final, showpiece of the English soccer season.
At peak time last year, 5.3 million Britons tuned in to watch the Raiders crush the Washington Redskins 38-9 at Super Bowl XVIII.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
