Here’s Where To Stream The 2020 Emmys, Because There’s More Than 1 Way To Watch

As more award shows move to a Jan-Dec eligibility period, the Emmys have begun to feel like a real outlier. But so long as "awards season" started with the one-two punch of the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival at the end of August, the TV awards landing in mid-September didn’t feel too out of place. This year changed all that. The Emmys, unable to reschedule or sidestep the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, must go virtual, while the rest of it’s awards brethren wait it out. As to where to stream the 2020 Emmys, going virtual doesn’t change where it airs, only how it is produced.

When the Emmys went from a small LA-based ceremony to one celebrating national broadcast networks, it aired on NBC. But by the mid-1960s, the Television Academy began a policy of rotating between the three primary broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, to avoid the appearance of favoritism by having a "home network." When Fox debuted in 1987, the Emmys moved there as "neutral ground" for several years, until it became apparent the "fourth network" had become an equal.

Since 1995, the ceremony has been back in rotation, with NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS each getting a crack at it every four years. This year happens to be ABC’s turn. As is now customary, that means a host pulled from the ABC ranks with Jimmy Kimmel, and inevitable cross-promotion with other brands owned by ABC’s parent company, Disney. It also means that pandemic or no, the Emmys streaming is a something of a Disney-based affair.

Over-the-air watchers can tune in to ABC’s digital station, of course, and cable users can log into ABC.com to watch live online during the ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 20. But for those who are hardcore cord-cutters, the first place to turn is Hulu.

NBC, ABC, and Fox originally started Hulu as a joint venture. But Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox and NBC’s Peacock launch leaves Hulu as a pure Disney product. "Hulu with Live TV" subscribers can watch live on the ABC channel as the show broadcasts. Those who subscribe to regular Hulu will be able to stream one day later, on Monday, Sept. 21.

ABC is also available as a live channel via YouTubeTV and the recently rebranded AT&T TV Now, formerly known as DirectTV. Both come with access to all four broadcast networks, including ABC.

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on ABC, on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. ET.

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