How to watch CMA Awards 2021 and stream country music ceremony from anywhere
Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert in mix for the top prize
Pull up a pew and kick back as former Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan hosts the 55th annual Country Music Association Awards. As the show returns once more to its Bridgestone Arena home in Nashville, Tennessee., read on as we explain how to watch a 2021 CMA Awards stream from anywhere, including for FREE.
Date: Wednesday, November 10
Time: 8pm ET/PT
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Live streams: ABC or via FREE FuboTV trial (US) | CTV (CA)
Free stream: 9Now (AU) / BBC iPlayer (UK)
Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30-days
Reigning Entertainer of the Year Eric Church is once again going head-to-head with Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Luke Combs for the night's highest honor, with Chris Stapleton completing the list of nominees.
It's incredible to think that neither Lambert nor Underwood have taken the crown before. Will it be fifth time lucky for the Fastest Girl in Town, or will the All-American Girl take it at her fourth attempt?
Of course, there's plenty more to look forward to besides, with a huge array of artists set to perform, with the biggest names including all of those mentioned above, plus Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Mickey Guyton and Carly Pearce.
Strap up for the coolest ride in town, and scroll down for all the ways to watch a CMA Awards stream tonight.
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How to watch a 2021 CMA Awards live stream from outside your country
Keep scrolling if you want to know your viewing options in the US, Canada, UK and Australia - it's absolutely FREE Down Under!
But it's worth noting that if you're abroad right now and were hoping to watch your home coverage on your laptop or mobile, it will inevitably be geo-blocked. Annoying but this is easily fixed, with a VPN you can change your IP address to a location back in your own hometown or country that will then allow you to stream the event as if you were sat back at home.
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How to watch 2021 CMA Awards in US with and without cable
ABC once again has the rights to air the CMA Awards in the US, with coverage of the event starting at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 8pm PT on Wednesday evening.
If you get the channel through your TV package, you can also live stream the CMA Awards via the ABC website, though you'll need to log in with your cable provider details.
If you don't have ABC on cable, don't worry. The excellent and comprehensive over-the-top streaming service FuboTV carries ABC as part of its line-up of more than 100 channels, and is priced from $64.99 a month.
It's really easy to sign up for, and can be cancelled no questions asked.
But best of all, it offers a FREE 7-day FuboTV trial, so you can see if it's right for you before parting with your money.
Not in the US right now? No worries - just use a VPN as described above.
How to live stream CMA Awards FREE in Australia
Country Music fans Down Under can watch the 2021 CMA Awards without paying a penny thanks to Channel 9 and, more specifically, 9Gem. Coverage starts at 12pm AEDT on Thursday.
That means you can also fire up a FREE CMA Awards stream on the 9Now streaming service, which is compatible with laptops, tablets, mobiles and an array of streaming services such as Apple TV, Chromecast, Fetch, PlayStation, Amazon Fire and smart TVs.
If you're currently out of Australia but want to catch that free coverage, you'll need to get yourself a VPN as per the instructions below.
How to stream the CMA Awards live in Canada
In Canada, CTV 2 is the place to tune in to the CMA Awards, with coverage beginning at 8pm ET / 7pm CT on Wednesday evening.
The event can also be streamed through the CTV website and app, but you’ll need to enter your cable login details first.
If you’re away from Canada, don’t let geo-blocks prevent you from tuning in. Use a good VPN in order to stream TV live and on-demand from anywhere in the world.
How to watch 2021 CMA Awards FREE in the UK
The great news for country music fans based in the UK is that you can watch the 2021 CMA Awards free - the bad news is that you're going to have to be patient.
The event is being shown on BBC 4 at 10pm GMT on Friday, November 19 - more a week after the event.
But because it's being shown on the Beeb, you can also stream the CMA Awards on BBC iPlayer.
The platform is 100% free to use with a valid TV licence and can be viewed on a number of devices. So whether you want to watch in real time or on catch-up, you can access BBC iPlayer on any of the following: desktop on Windows and Mac machines, on smartphone apps for Android and iOS, as well as media streaming devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Roku and more. You can also get BBC iPlayer on PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Abroad right now? Make use of a VPN like ExpressVPN to bypass geo-restrictions and stream BBC iPlayer as if you were right at home.
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Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.