The big game is about to kick off. But watching the Super Bowl today means a lot more than just staring at your TV.
A lot of the action takes place on “second-screen” apps like Twitter and Facebook, where play-by-play comments, smack-talk, and behind-the-scenes video clips and photos fill up news streams.
This year, many of the top mobile apps have created special hubs and added new features for the Super Bowl, making it easier than ever to get in on the action.
None of these services are meant to replace the live television broadcast of the game. They are meant to supplement and enhance what’s on TV; salsa for the chips.
Here’s how to follow the Super Bowl on your favorite social apps:
Twitter:Twitter
Twitter created the trend of following live sports on a social network, and the company is rolling out some new features for Super Bowl 50.
A special Super Bowl tab within Twitter’s new “Moments” section will be packed with tweets, video clips, and other content occurring during and around the game. Users can also search for “#SB50” to tap directly into the stream of game-related tweets. Various players and coaches from the Broncos and the Panthers tweet regularly, and Twitter has created special emojis that fans of each team can use during gameday.
The Twitter-owned Vine video app will also have a special Super Bowl channel where users can check out short, 6-second looping video clips of action from the field and behind-the-scenes at the game.
How to find it:
Click on the lightning bolt “Moments” tab at the bottom of Twitter’s mobile app, and then select the Super Bowl option from among the list of choices at the top of the screen.
Facebook:Facebook
The world’s largest social network recently launched a new “Sports Stadium” feature to serve as a central hub for users to follow live sporting events, and Sunday’s Super Bowl will be a high-profile showcase of the new feature. Facebook will display the game score and the game clock in a banner at the top of its Super Bowl page.
You can then dive into different feeds to see game-related comments and photos from friends, posts by teams, players and journalists, and a chronological stream of video clips and other info recapping the latest plays. Another tab provides all the latest game stats.
How to find it:
The sports stadium is currently available only for the iOS version of Facebook, or on the web version of the service. In the Facebook app go to the “More” button on the lower right of the screen and then click on the “Sports” bookmark. Or search for “Super Bowl.” For the web version of Facebook go to facebook.com/superbowl.
Snapchat:
Snapchat
The social network of choice for Millennials, Snapchat will produce two Live Stories during the Super Bowl. One of the Live Stories will be about the actual game, the other will focus on the various celebrations taking place. Snapchat will “geofence” Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California (where the game is being played), and a team of curators will pick the best clips submitted by users at the game to create a video of all the goings-ons on the field, sidelines and in the stands. In addition to fans, it’s likely that players, teams and the NFL will submit videos from the stadium to the Live Stories.How to find it:
Swipe left on the camera screen to the Story page. The Super Bowl Live Stories will be front and center, alongside other stories and Discover channels.
Instagram:
The photo and video sharing site is owned by Facebook, but Instagram has prepared its own special video channel for the big game. The Super Bowl channel will be video-only and will continuously pull in all the best clips that Instagram users upload during the game. The videos will include footage shot by people inside the stadium, as well as game-related videos by celebrities, athletes and any other interesting clips related to the Super Bowl festivities.
How to find it:
Go to the app’s “Explore” page, and look for the Super Bowl channel button at the top of the page.