"Can I watch Super Bowl 2021 in 4K? Last year's broadcast of the big game was in 4K, and this year should be no different. Besides, 4K TVs are more popular than ever.

But the game is on right now, and I can tell you not to look for the Super Bowl in 4K. No luck this year.

Despite the above logic, the live stream of the Super Bowl will be 1080p (no HDR) at most this year. There are two reasons for this: the network on which it will be broadcast and the times we live in. Yes, football fans, you can (partially) blame CBS this year.

I mean, Super Bowl LIV (aka Super Bowl 54) was streamed live in 4K and HDR on FOX last year, but this year we are not getting the same treatment because CBS has the game this year.

So, apparently CBS does not have the same expertise as FOX when it comes to ultra high definition distribution. Strange, isn't it?

You would think that the NFL itself would have the ability to fill the gap or something. But alas, it does not.

And CBS didn't learn in time, for the same reason that everything in sports and entertainment is broken this year:

CBS Sports Digital told The Verge that "production limitations" are the main reason why they have not been able to learn how to make a 4K Super Bowl live stream of Chiefs vs. Buccaneers a reality.

Yes, the COVID-19 restrictions have made broadcasting the Big Game more complicated than ever this year because of the increased ways we all work remotely. So CBS Sports Digital has had to re-prioritize.

CBS Sports Digital said it is focused on ensuring stream reliability and low latency; memories of ESPN Plus' low-quality streaming of UFC 257 are fresh, so I won't argue that CBS is doing the basics right. They don't want to fail to stream the Super Bowl.