How to Watch the Puppy Bowl Live For Free to See Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff
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Get ready for the most adorable sporting event of the year! While the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers prepare to face off in Super Bowl LVIII, another epic matchup is stealing hearts across America. Animal lovers nationwide are wondering how to watch Puppy Bowl live for free, and we’ve got all the details you need to catch every tail-wagging moment of this beloved tradition.
The 2025 Puppy Bowl marks its 21st anniversary with an unprecedented lineup featuring 142 puppies from 80 shelters and rescues across 40 states and two countries. This year’s special event promises to be more exciting than ever as Team Ruff and Team Fluff compete for the coveted Walmart “Lombarky” Trophy. The expanded roster includes eleven special needs pups, including Jolene, an American Pit Bull Terrier mix competing in a wheelchair, and Sprinkle, a blind and hearing-impaired Australian Shepherd mix, all showcasing that every dog deserves their moment to shine.
Whether you’re tuning in to watch these playful pups score touchdowns with their favorite toys or hoping to spot your next family member among the athletic canines, here’s everything you need to know about watching Puppy Bowl XXI—including how to stream it for free.
When is the Puppy Bowl 2025?
Puppy Bowl XXI kicks off Sunday, February 9, starting with the brand-new Puppy Bowl XXI Kickoff at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The main event begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, giving you plenty of time to enjoy all the puppy action before the Super Bowl starts.
How to Watch Puppy Bowl 2025 Live for Free
This year’s Puppy Bowl will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+, offering multiple ways to catch all the action. Here are all your options, from most versatile to most basic:
For the full viewing experience, DirecTV Stream offers all the Puppy Bowl channels plus extensive sports and entertainment programming, with a five-day free trial. After the trial, plans start at $86.99 per month with a $10 discount for the first three months. If you’re looking for a better-value option that still includes all channels, Philo also offers a seven-day free trial and costs $28 per month afterward.
For those wanting more comprehensive entertainment options, Hulu+ With Live TV is another comprehensive choice, carrying all the necessary channels while including Disney+ and ESPN+ for $81.99 per month. While it doesn’t offer a free trial, the bundled streaming services add significant value.
For viewers who just want to catch the Puppy Bowl without additional channels, both Discovery+ and Max will livestream the event. Discovery+ offers a 7-day free trial and costs $5.99 per month (with ads) or $9.99 per month (ad-free). Max also offers a limited-time 7-day free trial, with plans starting at $9.99 per month (with ads) or $16.99 per month (ad-free).
- Best Overall Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: DirecTV Stream
- Best Value Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Philo’s Free Trial
- Best Upgrade Pick to the Puppy Bowl: Hulu+ With Live TV
- Best Budget Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Discovery+
- Best Streamer Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Max
Best Overall Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: DirecTV Stream
Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch the Puppy Bowl live for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. Direct TV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $86.99 per month; Choice, which costs $114.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $129.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $169.99 per month. Animal Planet, Discovery, and truTV are available with all four plans to watch the Puppy Bowl live.
As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Puppy Bowl with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.
- Visit streamtv.directv.com‘s packages page
- Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Animal Planet, Discovery, or truTV and start watching the Puppy Bowl!
Best Value Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Philo’s Free Trial
Philo is our best value pick to watch the Puppy Bowl live for free for its price and free trial length. Philo offers a seven-day free trial and costs $28 per month after the trial ends. Along with Animal Planet, Philo also offers similar channels like Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, and Discovery Life. As for what else it includes, Philo offers more than 70 channels, as well as an unlimited DVR service. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Animal Planet with Philo’s free trial.
- Visit Philo.com
- Click “Start Free Trial”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Animal Planet or Discovery Channel, and start watching the Puppy Bowl!
Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Hulu+ Live TV
Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch the Puppy Bowl based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $81.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $87.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $95.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. Animal Planet is included in all four plans. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Puppy Bowl with Hulu+ Live TV.
- Visit Hulu.com/liveTV
- Click “Sign Up Now”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Animal Planet and start watching the Puppy Bowl!
Best Budget Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: Discovery+
Discovery+ is our budget pick to watch the Puppy Bowl live for free using its seven-day free trial. Discovery+ costs $5.99 per month with ads or $9.99 per month without ads after the trial ends. As the streaming home of Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, Discovery+ offers the entire Discovery family of networks, plus exclusive animal-focused content and documentaries. The service includes more than 70,000 episodes of programming from Discovery’s portfolio of networks, along with Discovery+ Originals. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Puppy Bowl live for free with Discovery+’s free trial.
- Visit discoveryplus.com
- Click “Start Free Trial”
- Choose between the “With Ads” or “Ad-Free” plan
- Enter your information and payment method
- Download the Discovery+ app or watch on your browser, then tune in to the Puppy Bowl!
Best Streaming Pick to Watch the Puppy Bowl: MAX
Max is offering a limited-time opportunity to watch the Puppy Bowl live for free through its seven-day free trial, available exclusively through Amazon Prime Video Channels through February 22, 2025. After the trial, Max costs $9.99 per month with ads or $16.99 per month without ads. Along with the Puppy Bowl, Max gives you access to a vast library of content, including the complete HBO catalog, DC Universe, Warner Bros. films, and exclusive Max Originals. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Puppy Bowl with Max’s free trial.
- Visit Amazon Prime (if you’re not an existing Prime member, start with a 30-day free Prime trial)
- Go to Max on Prime Video Channels
- Click “Start your free trials”
- Choose between the “With Ads” or “Ad-Free” plan
- Complete sign-up with your Amazon account
- Download the Max app or watch on Amazon Prime Video, then tune in to the Puppy Bowl!
How does the Puppy Bowl work?
The Puppy Bowl isn’t your typical sporting event. Hosted by “rufferee” Dan Schachner, the three-hour show features two teams of shelter pups—Team Ruff and Team Fluff—competing for the coveted Walmart “Lombarky” Trophy. The rules are simple: if a pup drags a toy into an end zone, it scores a touchdown. But expect plenty of “penalties” for activities like premature watering of the field or excessive snuggling. While the event looks live, it’s actually filmed months in advance to ensure the safety and comfort of all participating puppies.
Meet the Puppy Bowl 2025 players
This year’s starting lineup features an incredible roster of adoptable athletes from across the country and beyond. Team Fluff’s lineup includes Winston, a scrappy competitor from Phoenix Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania, and Whoopie, representing Wags & Walks in Tennessee. Team Ruff counters with players like Tuani, who made the journey all the way from SOS Animales in Nicaragua, and Trixie from the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society in Michigan.
Other standout players include Willow from Hearts & Bones Rescue in Texas, Violet from Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in Florida, and Trevor from Green Dogs Unleashed in Virginia. To see the complete roster of all 142 puppy players competing in this year’s game, visit PuppyBowl.com.
How to adopt Puppy Bowl dogs
While many of the adorable athletes you’ll see during the Puppy Bowl have already found their forever homes (the event typically films in October), there are still plenty of opportunities to adopt a shelter pet. During the broadcast, visit PuppyBowl.com to learn more about the featured shelters and their available pets. As “rufferee” Dan Schachner explained to Mental Floss in 2019, even if the specific puppy you fall in love with during the show has been adopted, their shelter may have other equally adorable dogs available, possibly even from the same litter.
Puppy Bowl XXI airs live on Sunday, February 9, 2025, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The main event begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Here’s how to watch it for free.
