Super Bowl LVI on Coupang Play

Just a post for future reference. Yesterday was Super Bowl 56 (LVI) and in South Korea, it streamed exclusively on Coupang Play, the streaming video service that is included with a premium "Wow" membership on Korea's popular online shopping website Coupang. So Coupang Play is like Korea's Amazon Prime Video. This was interesting because previously the Super Bowl has been broadcast on MBC Sports or even by Naver. Coupang Play is making a name for itself with exclusive content, like SNL Korea and various international sports matches.

Official Super Bowl LVI promo image from Coupang Play

I happen to be a Wow member mainly for the fresh and frozen food delivery options. It only costs a few bucks a month and for that I figure I am saving big on food delivery from restaurants. Sure, I could call up my local Seolleongtang place and have a hot soup delivered to my door in a few minutes, but why pay more for that when I can just as easily order the same soup in a chilled bag, delivered in an insulated reusable bag in the morning, and just throw the soup in a pot and heat it up myself when I get home from work? Seems like a no brainer to me. 

But being a Wow member has the extra perk of a speedy streaming library with a decent amount of content, including English content from the US and UK. 

So yesterday I fired it up and kept the Super Bowl open in a second tab while at work. I posted all this on Twitter so if you already follow me there don't bother reading on. Just wanted to show a quick review of what it was like. 

I logged in and sure enough, the game was featured in the highlights section of the app. 

As game time approached, we got introductory commentary from these two Korean commentators. All commentary for the game was in Korean.

They included a history of the league standings that led up to this final.

Kickoff. The actual streaming quality was very good, with no lag or hiccups. Much better than these low quality screenshots would indicate. 

The stream can be Chromecasted from both the phone app and the desktop. 

Since this is American football, they almost immediately went to commercial after the kickoff return, and that's when I realized that this feed has no US commercials. I wonder if all GamePass type streams are like that. There was some general NFL network filler.

Then they also ran some Coupang Play promotional content. There were promos for various shows that are available in the Coupang Play library.

And a short interview with Younghoe Koo, a Korean who plays in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons. 

And the full halftime show was shown. Here are Dre, Snoop, and Eminem though my poor screenshots make it hard to tell.

Overall I was pleased. I do wish Naver would continue to carry it since they made the stream available for free which would be much easier for foreigners here to watch. I doubt many foreigners here have a Coupang Wow membership other than long-timers. But the stream loaded with no hassle, no fuss, no errors, smooth as silk. I really can't complain. Of course in some way I was paying for this so it ought to be that way. 

I just noticed Dark Tower and Twin Peaks (the new season) is available there now. Maybe I'll put some of these on tonight. 

If you're interested in seeing more about what's on Coupang Play, see my other post:

Taking a look at Coupang Play (screenshot tour)