Carnival Cruise Line has announced that it will broadcast NFL and college football games on board its ships during the 2024-2025 season. The broadcasts will include games shown on ESPN as part of the NFL Syndication and Sunday Ticket package.
The games will be available in several public venues across the ships, including sports bars, casino bars, pubs, and breweries. However, Carnival has confirmed that the games will not be available in guest cabins.
While some games will be featured on the ships’ big screens, the cruise line noted that not all games will be shown this way due to an already planned Dive-In Movie schedule.
However, the Super Bowl, taking place in Inglewood, California, February 9, 2025, will be broadcast on the big screens at Lido and in the main theater. This is good news for guests of the 22 Carnival ships scheduled to sail from U.S. homeports during the Big Game.
“For those who love football, we have you covered,” said John Heald, brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line, who jokingly added, “You will enjoy the game on board and, of course, the many commercials between each play for people with indigestion, terrible gas, and hemorrhoids.”
For college football fans, Carnival Cruise Line has an agreement to show 12 games per week during the 14-week season. These games will be selected based on the cruise line’s U.S. itineraries, focusing on the home ports.
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The company currently operates 3-—to 8-day cruises from 14 U.S. homeports, including Baltimore, Charleston, South Carolina, Galveston, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, Long Beach (Los Angeles), California, Miami, Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Virginia, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tampa, Florida.
This means priority will be given to college teams in Maryland, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, California, Alabama, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, and Washington.
The news was met with phrase from those commenting on Heald’s Facebook page. “We watched the Super Bowl on Jubilee this year in the Main Theater, and it was the most fun we’re ever had watching the game,” said one guest.
Demand for Live Sports Driven by Connectivity
The trend of airing major sporting events on cruise ships has been gaining traction in recent years as cruise lines seek to enhance the onboard experience for guests.
For example, MSC Cruises has been actively broadcasting popular FIFA World Cup and Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League tournaments.
British cruise line Fred Olsen Cruise Line has also been airing UEFA matches, as well as the Wimbledon Championships, and the 2024 Summer XXXIII Olympics this year.
A key enabler of this trend is the improved internet connectivity on cruise ships, particularly with the adoption of Starlink technology.
Starlink, developed by SpaceX, is a satellite internet constellation that provides high-speed, low-latency internet access, which has been a game-changer for cruise ships.
Carnival Cruise Line has outfitted 100 percent of its fleet of 27 ships with Starklink, including its newest addition, Carnival Jubilee.
Launched in December 2023 and homeported in Galveston, the 4,085-passenger, 182,015-gross-ton ship was the first in the fleet to offer 5G coverage to passengers.
In October 2023, the cruise line began a multi-year partnership with the NFL’s New York Jets, appearing as a “proud sponsor” in advertisements and showcasing Jets games in the SkyBox Sports Bar onboard its ships. Undoubtedly, the games shown during the 2024-25 NFL season will feature the team.
