How to Watch the Puppy Bowl Before the Big Game

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Couple sitting on couch with their dog, watching TV at home
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Editor's Note: This story comes from CableTV.com.

Super Bowl LVIII starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 11, but what’s a sports fan to do in the hours leading up to it? Live with the TV off? Unthinkable.

For dog lovers, we’ve got a suggestion: Turn on Animal Planet channel and enjoy three hours of cute canine tomfoolery.

Puppy Bowl XX airs at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 11, live on Animal Planet and streaming on Discovery Plus and Max.

What is the Puppy Bowl?

Cairn terrier puppy
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The Puppy Bowl is a yearly event held to raise awareness about animal adoption.

Two large teams of dogs — Team Ruff and Team Fluff — play on a field covered in toys. The team to drag the most toys into either end zone (aka a “Puppy Touchdown”) wins.

Every athlete is a rescue dog, and the event showcases animal shelters and rescues during its three-hour runtime.

If watching those adorable sports stars doesn’t convince you to visit your local shelter, we’re not sure what will.

TV plans that include the Puppy Bowl

Women watching TV
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Here’s a breakdown of plans with prices, channel count and details:

* with a 24-month agreement. AutoPay and Paperless Bill required. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/month is extra and applies.

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

More about TV plans that include the Puppy Bowl

Family watching Hulu streaming TV service
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For cable subscribers, Puppy Bowl XX will air on the Animal Planet channel. You’ll find Animal Planet on a lot of common cable TV plans (those previously listed are only a few examples).

Its channel number will vary by provider: For example, Animal Planet is channel 282 on DIRECTV, 184 on DISH and 68 on Spectrum.

You can also watch Animal Planet with a live TV streaming service like Hulu + Live TV or fuboTV.

In fact, the cheapest way to get Animal Planet is with a Philo subscription, which is $25.00 per month.

Watch the Puppy Bowl on Discovery+

Friends watching TV
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The following are Discovery+ plans by price, number of streams and video resolution:

  • Discovery+: $4.99/month; four; 1080p/4K
  • Discovery+ (Ad-Free): $8.99/month; four; 1080p/4K

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

If you want to escape cable TV entirely, worry not. You can still enjoy those adorable athletic puppies!

The cheapest way to watch the Puppy Bowl is with an ad-supported Discovery+ plan, which will run you $4.99 per month.

You can even watch the Puppy Bowl for free with a Discovery+ seven-day free trial. Just make sure you cancel before the renewal date.

Watch the Puppy Bowl on Max

Unhappy couple watching TV
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Since Warner Bros. Discovery owns both Discovery+ and Max, you’ll be able to stream this year’s Puppy Bowl on either streaming service. Discovery+ is the cheaper option of the two, but Max does have an impressively large library.

If you’re looking to watch the Puppy Bowl for free, Discovery+ will definitely be your best bet.

Discovery+ offers a seven-day free trial, but Max only offers a free trial when subscribing as an add-on through Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Here are Max plans with price, number of streams and video resolution:

  • Ultimate Ad Free: $19.99/month; four; 4K
  • Ad Free: $15.99/month; two; 1080p
  • With Ads: $9.99/month; two; 1080p

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