How to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards online from anywhere

Billboard Music Awards Billboard (Image credit: Billboard)

The biggest names in music are heading to Los Angeles this weekend for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards and we have all the details on how you can watch this year's awards show on TV or online.

Unlike the Grammys where nominations are determined by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the finalists in the Billboard Music Awards are based on album and digital song sales, how many times a song was streamed, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement.

After hosting the awards show for the past three years in a row, Kelly Clarkson is stepping down from the role and her co-star on The Voice, Nick Jonas will host the 2021 Billboard Music Awards live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

When it comes to the artist with the most nominations, The Weeknd currently holds the top spot with 16 followed by DaBaby with 11. The late rapper Pop Smoke has been posthumously nominated in 10 categories while American Idol alumni Gabby Barrett received 9 nominations.

Canadian rapper Drake is the artist with the most wins of all time at the Billboard Music Awards with 27 awards but he could end up breaking his own record as he has been nominated in seven categories. Regardless of whether Drake wins, he'll still be going home with the prestigious Artist of the Decade Award at this year's awards show.

In addition to awards, the 2021 Billboard Music Awards will feature performances from the Jonas Brothers, BTS, Doja Cat, Bad Bunny, DJ Khaled, Duran Duran, Twenty One Pilots, and other top artists.

Whether you're a big music fan that's been following all of the Billboard charts this year or just want to see your favorite artists perform live, we'll show you how to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards from anywhere in the world.

2021 Billboard Music Awards: Where and when?

The 2021 Billboard Music Awards will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, May 32. The award show is scheduled to begin at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and it will air on NBC in the U.S., CTV in Canada and on SBS on Demand in Australia.

How to watch the Billboard Music Awards in the U.S.

If you live in the U.S. and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards live on NBC beginning at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on Sunday. You can also stream the awards show online on NBC's streaming service Peacock.

Peacock Premium

Peacock's Premium plan lets you live stream the Billboard Music Awards and there's even a 7-day trial if you want to try it out for free. It's $4.99 per month after that.

Don't want to sign up for cable or Peacock just to watch the Billboard Music Awards this weekend? Don't worry as there are a number of streaming services, all at different price points, that will give you access to NBC so you can watch the awards show online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

Hulu with Live TV - $64.99 per month - As well as giving you access to NBC, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
Sling TV - $35 per month - In order to get access to NBC, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Blue package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to NBC as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
AT&T TV Now - $69.99 per month - AT&T TV Now's Entertainment package will give you access to NBC and the service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels. You can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.
FuboTV - starting at $64.99 per month. FuboTV gives you access to NBC as well as over 80 other channels. The service also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test it out for yourself.

How to watch the Billboard Music Awards in Canada

Canadian music fans will be able to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on CTV beginning at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on Sunday. You can also stream the awards show online on CTV's website but you will need to login with the credentials from your cable provider to do so.

How to watch the Billboard Music Awards in the UK

Unfortunately for music fans in the UK, there is no official broadcast option for this year's Billboard Music Awards. This means that you'll need to grab a VPN and follow the instructions below to watch the awards show in the UK.

How to watch the Billboard Music Awards in Australia for free

Australian music fans will be able to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards for free on SBS On Demand beginning at 10am AEST / 8am AWST on Monday, May 24. While SBS On Demand is free, you do need to register for an account or sign in using your Facebook or Google account to watch this year's awards show. If you happen to miss it, don't worry as the entire event will be available to watch on SBS On Demand after it airs.

How to watch the Billboard Music Awards from anywhere

We have all the details on how you can watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia further up in this guide. However, if you want to watch this year's awards show when you're away from home, then you'll run into problems as your domestic coverage online from abroad will likely be geo-blocked.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security, and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money-back guarantee. Looking for more options?

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2021 Billboard Music Awards Finalists

While you can see the full list of finalists for this year's Billboard Music Awards on Billboard's website, we've listed a few of the finalists from our favorite categories below:

Top Artist