ESPN and Disney to air animated Star Wars alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI
ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney, and the NFL have announced an animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI called "Star Wars Funday Football," scheduled for February 14, 2027. The broadcast will stream live on Disney+ and the ESPN App and also air on Disney Channel and Disney XD. According to the announcement, every play will be recreated in real time by converting players into animated avatars using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, which combines NFL Next Gen Stats player tracking with Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking. The presentation marks the first animated alternate telecast of a Super Bowl, though it is the fourth such animated NFL alternate production from ESPN, Disney, and the NFL.
The Star Wars animated telecast will recreate every play of Super Bowl LXI in real time, transforming players on the field into animated avatars
Why it matters
For media: Broadcasters and streaming platforms gain a case study in franchise-branded alternate telecasts as a strategy for expanding Super Bowl viewership across demographics and platforms.
Read the full story at Yahoo Sports
Sources
- Yahoo Sports: ‘Star Wars’ Animated Alternate Telecast Set for 2027 Super Bowl