Who's ready for the SpongeBob Super Bowl? Here's what to know about Nickelodeon's coverage

Are you ready for some football, kids? Aye aye, captain!

Football fans might not think the Super Bowl and SpongeBob SquarePants should be in the same TV, much less the same channel. But the NFL is betting families (well, the kids, at least) will think differently and watch the first Super Sunday on Nickelodeon.

Yes, SpongeBob and Patrick Star will be part of an announcing team for the 2024 Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. And yes, traditional fans will still be able to hear Jim Nantz and Tony Romo call the game from Las Vegas. The alternative feed is just the latest (and perhaps its most successful) effort to reach out to a new crowd.

Turns out Taylor Swift isn't the only one bringing new audiences to the NFL. And the TV network for kids has been working with the NFL since 2021. Here's everything you need to know about the peculiar feed:

Is Nickelodeon hosting the Super Bowl? Why?

Yes, you heard right. Noah Eagle will be providing the play-by-play with analyst Nate Burleson in an augmented reality version of Bikini Bottom, home of SpongeBob SquarePants. The titular sponge and his best friend Patrick will be joining Eagle and Burleson on the commentary with fellow Bikini Bottom-dwellers Sandy Cheeks and Larry the Lobster "reporting" from the field in Las Vegas.

CBS is carrying the main broadcast of Super Bowl 58. It and Nickelodeon are both owned by Paramount, and in an effort to reach younger audiences, the company is offering an alternative Super Bowl broadcast geared toward kids and families.

Has Nickelodeon done NFL football games before?

Nickelodeon began a partnership with the NFL in 2021. It started with a wild card playoff game between the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints that featured cut-outs of Nick characters in the stands (this was still during the COVID pandemic). The replays featured brightly colored animations to complement the action, and each touchdown was treated to a virtual flooding of the channel's trademark green slime in the end zone.

The broadcast received mostly positive reviews and brought in 2 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched program in years, according to a news release.

As a result, Nick has been given one NFL game per season as an alternate broadcast option. The format returned for a 2022 playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, which combined with the CBS broadcast brought in 41.5 million viewers, the most for a wild card game since 2015.

After that, Nickelodeon got a pair of Christmas Day games: Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. Video of the 2022 "Nickmas" game went viral went Patrick Star, who will be part of Sunday's Super Bowl coverage, called a Russell Wilson interception.

Since the start of the 2021 season, former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson and Dylan Gilmer, the star of "Tyler Perry's Young Dylan," also have hosted a weekly highlight show on Nick called "NFL Slimetime."

Is SpongeBob opening the Super Bowl?

SpongeBob has actually tackled football before in its 2001 episode "Band Geeks," which spawned one of the show's most popular songs, "Sweet Victory." In the episode, Squidward is challenged by an old rival to lead a musical performance at Bikini Bottom's equivalent of the Super Bowl. Much to his surprise, the gang comes through with a performance for the ages.

The Nickelodeon broadcast will begin with a new performance of the epic number. And the halftime show starring Usher will still be shown on Nick.

Wasn't there a Toy Story NFL game too?

On October 1, Disney+ and ESPN+ aired another alternate feed of a football game designed for kids. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons game in London featured a live recreation of the game with animated versions of the players set in the world of the "Toy Story" movies.

Where can I watch the Nickelodeon Super Bowl?

Nickelodeon is on Channel 299 or 300 on DirecTV and Channel 170 on Dish. The Nickelodeon Super Bowl stream can be streamed on Paramount+ or other digital TV packages including fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

When is the Super Bowl?

• Time: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, February 11

• Place: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, February 11. The game will be played at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

What channel is the Super Bowl on?

• TV: CBS (check local listings) and Nickelodeon (Channel 299 in East or 300 in West on DirecTV, Channel 170 on Dish)

• Streaming: Paramount+ (7-day free trial), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

Super Bowl 58 between the 49ers and Chiefs will air on CBS. Jim Nantz will be the play-by-play announcer with Tony Romo as analyst and Tracy Wolfson as sideline reporter.

The game will have an alternative broadcast on Nickelodeon with Noah Eagle as the play-by-play commentator, Nate Burleson providing analysis and SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star lending their voices.

Streaming options include fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Nickelodeon, SpongeBob hosting Super Bowl 2024: TV channel, streaming