How to Watch the 2026 Emmy Awards Online for Free

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. TV’s biggest night has arrived with the 78th annual Emmy Awards happening in Hollywood on Monday. This year’s ceremony, which starts at 8 p.m. ET following t

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If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

TV’s biggest night has arrived with the 78th annual Emmy Awards happening in Hollywood on Monday. This year’s

ceremony, which starts at 8 p.m. ET following the red carpet, will be hosted by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay.

At a Glance: How to Watch the 2026 Emmy Awards

TV channel: NBC
Streaming: DirecTV (free trial), Fubo (free trial), Peacock, Sling
Date, start time: Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET

get free trial at directv

The Pitt leads nominees this year with 25 nods, followed closely by Hacks with 24. Widow’s Bay and Pluribus also picked up 19 and 18 nominations, respectively, after hit first seasons. Other series with more than 10 nominations are Beef, DTF St. Louis, Saturday Night Live, and Spider-Noir.

Tonight’s ceremony comes after more than 100 Emmy statuettes have already been awarded. Widow’s Bay has already won eight, Bad Bunny’s Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show picked up seven, and DTF St. Louis and The Traitors each won six.

The 2026 Emmy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on NBC. If you don’t have cable, read on for details on where to livestream the Emmys online (and ways to watch for free).

How to Watch the 2026 Emmy Awards Online for Free

If you’ve cut the cord on cable, you can watch the 2026 Emmys online using any live TV streaming service that carries NBC, such as DirecTV, Fubo, or Sling. Both DirecTV and Fubo also offer free trialsthat you can use to watch the Emmys for free online. Another option is Peacock, although it doesn’t come with a free trial.

Here’s a further breakdown of these options:

DirecTV

➤ Five-day free trial
➤ $64.99/month
➤ Up to 185+ channels

get free trial

NBC is available in several DirecTV packages, including its Genre Packs and larger Signature Packages. Plans with local channels start at $44.99 per month, but you get a five-day free trial on every plan and an introductory discount on most packages.

Fubo

➤ Five-day free trial
➤ $64.99/month
➤ Up to 300+ channels

get free trial

Another one of the best live TV streaming services is Fubo, which carries NBC in all of its packages. New subscribers can get a five-day free trial to start (use that to watch the Emmys for free). After the trial, you’ll get a discounted first month at $54.99 before the price settles at $64.99 a month for Fubo’s cheapest package.