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Small Screen: Pre-game surprises and halftime thrills

NBC will broadcast six hours of Super Bowl pre-game programming starting at 10 a.m.
Katy Perry
Super Bowl

NBC will broadcast six hours of Super Bowl pre-game programming starting at 10 a.m.

The NBC Sports’ Football Night in America team of Dan Patrick, Josh Elliott, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Mike Florio and Peter King, and NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football team of Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya, will contribute to the pre-game coverage with interviews, features and live on-site commentary and analysis.

Liam McHugh will be an on-site host at the stadium, while Carolyn Manno and Randy Moss will report from the team hotels.

Doug Flutie will appear in on-field segments.

Features will include Super Bowl Super Fans, Super Bowl Wives, Pat Tillman’s Legacy, Hometown Hero and Coach’s Clicker. And NBC’s Savannah Guthrie will interview President Barack Obama as part of the pre-game show.

NBC Sports’ ice-skating analysts Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski will join NBC’s pre-game show to offer their take on the big game and the events surrounding it.

They will be based at the Super Bowl XLIX Tailgate Party, the official NFL pre-game party for VIP guests, where they will interview celebrities and also provide their own Super Bowl observations.

“Having six hours of pre-game coverage allows us to not only surround every aspect of the game, but also to cover the Super Bowl as the unparalleled event that it is,” Sam Flood, Executive Producer for NBC Sports & NBCSN, and the producer of NBC’s Super Bowl XLIX pre-game show, says.

The opening theme for NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl XLIX will contain new lyrics featuring the Patriots and Seahawks. Six-time Grammy Award-winner Carrie Underwood will belt out the tune Waiting All Day for a Super Bowl Fight.

“I’m so honoured to again be a part of the Super Bowl, this time joining NBC Sports in helping kick everything off,” Underwood said.

NBC Sports will provide instant updates of game through social media accounts. You can follow them at:

• Facebook: The NBC Sports and Sunday Night Football Facebook accounts will provide users with shareable images, videos, and chats with NBC Sports Group commentators.

• Twitter: @SNFonNBCwill provide real-time news and photos.

• Instagram: SNF on NBC and NBC Sports Instagram accounts will offer behind-the-scenes access to NBC’s production.

• Vine: The NBC Sports social team will create content around Phoenix on the Sunday Night Football and NBC Sports Vine accounts throughout Super Bowl week.

• Pinterest: Pinterest.com/NBCSports has Super Bowl themed boards to help plan the best Super Bowl party.

Katy Perry will headline the halftime show along with Lenny Kravitz.

The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show is the most-watched musical event of the year. More than 115 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide.

Previous halftime acts have included Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Madonna, The Who, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2.

The Super Bowl attracts record numbers of viewers but not everyone cares about the game.