Kick Off Time

FYI

Despite what you'll read elsewhere, Super Bowl 2009 kickoff will probably be a little after 6:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. As we saw last year, different official sites list different official kickoff times. 

• NBC, which is broadcasting the game, writes clearly "kickoff 6:00 PM" -- but they do have an interest in getting people to tune in early.
• The NFL's superbowl.com site is counting down to 6:20, and this is the time that most websites are using as official.

• The Super Bowl 2009 hosting committee lists kickoff time as "approximately 6:28" though the countdown on their site is counting down to 6:00. 

Last year, FOX (which was broadcasting the game) announced kickoff for 6:17, the NFL said 6:18, and the site hosting the Super Bowl said 6:30. Actual kickoff was 6:32.  So if you'd like to hear some of Journey's performance, Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem, and catch some of the pre-game hype, turn on your sets by 6. But don't expect the game to actually start before 6:30.

Quick additional tidbits:

• Date: February 1, 2009
• Location: Tampa, Florida
• Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers & Arizona Cardinals
• National Anthem: Jennifer Hudson
• Halftime: Bruce Springsteen
• Super Bowl Number: 43 (XLIII)