How to Watch the AMAs Live for Free to See BTS, KATSEYE, TWICE & More Artists

The boys are back.

By Jason Pham

Jason Pham

How to watch AMAs 2026 live online

Where to Watch the AMAs 2026 Live Online for Free to See BTS, KATSEYE & More

Best Overall & EDITOR’S PICK

Watch AMAs with DirecTV Stream

– Free trial: 5 days
– Includes local networks and 90+ channels

Try for Free

DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, which means you can watch the AMAs live for free. The streamer has four plans—Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate, and Premier—all of which include CBS. Entertainment comes with over 90 channels and costs $89.99 per month; Choice, which comes with over 125 channels and costs $94.99 per month (currently $84.99 for your first three months); Ultimate, which comes with over 160 channels and costs $124.99 per month (currently $114.99 for your first three months); and Premier, which comes with over 185 channels and costs $169.99 per month.

We tested every streaming service offering a free trial, and DirecTV came out on top as our editor’s pick. With its free trial and massive selection of channels and local networks, it’s a great choice for watching the AMAs on CBS.

Best Flexible Pick

Watch AMAs with Fubo

– Free trial: Up to 5 days
– Includes local networks and 200+ channels

Try for Free

Fubo is another great option for streaming the AMAs with its free trial for new users. The trial includes access to CBS, along with over 100 other channels focused on sports and entertainment. The service provides four tiers: Sports + News with 29 channels at $55.99 per month (currently $45.99 for the first month), Pro with 214 channels at $73.99 per month (currently $48.99 for the first month), Elite with 278 channels at $83.99 per month (currently $53.99 for the first month), and Latino with 55 channels at $14.99 per month (currently $9.99 for the first month). You’re not going to want to pass up these first-month discounts (AKA up to $40 in savings).

Best PAID Pick

Watch AMAs with Paramount+

– Free trial: None
– Stream CBS live, plus 40,000+ episodes & movies and sports events

TRY FOR $8.99+

Paramount+ is a one-stop shop towatch teh AMAs. The service offers two plans: an ad-supported Essential Plan and an ad-free (except live TV) Premium Plan. The Essential Plan costs $8.99 per month, while the Premium Plan costs $13.99 per month. Paramount Plus also offers two yearly plans if you want to shop smarter. The Essential plan costs $89.99 per year (which saves you around $18, or 17%) and the Premium Plan costs $139.99 per year (which saves you around $28, or 17%). You should consider going with the Premium Plan, though, as it includes all Showtime originals, the ability to download movies and shows, and the power to stream CBS live, with more sports and events. While Paramount+ does cost money (no free trial), you get great value.

Best Bundle Pick

Watch AMAs with Hulu + Live TV

– Free trial: 3 days
– Large library of shows, movies, and Hulu Originals

Try for Free

Hulu + Live TV offers four plans. The cheapest plan, Live TV Only, costs $88.99. The next most affordable plan is only $1 more, sitting at $89.99 per month and comes with access to Hulu’s live TV content (including the AMAs on CBS), Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads). After that is a $99.99 per month plan that comes with Hulu’s live TV content, as well as access to Hulu’s streaming library without ads, Disney+ without ads, and ESPN+ with ads. For Disney+ without ads, users can subscribe for $94.99 per month and also get Hulu Live TV, Hulu’s streaming library (with ads), and ESPN Select (with ads).

When do the AMAs 2026 air?

This year’s AMAs air on May 25 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS.

Who’s the AMAs 2026 host?

Singer and actress Queen Latifah will host this year’s AMAs. She originally co-hosted the 22nd annual American Music Awards in 1995 with Welsh singer Tom Jones and country singer Lorrie Morgan.

Who are the AMAs 2026 nominees?

Taylor Swift leads this year’s nominations with eight nods. Eight new categories were also introduced for 2026: Breakout Tour, Breakthrough Album of the Year, Best Throwback Song, Best Vocal Performance, Song of the Summer, Breakthrough Pop Artist, Breakthrough Country Artist, Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist, Breakthrough R&B Artist, Breakthrough Latin Artist, Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist, and Best Americana/Folk Artist

Three special honors will also be given out at the 2026 AMAs, including the International Artist Award of Excellence to Karol G, the Lifetime Achievement Award to Billy Idol, and the Veterans Voice Award to Darius Rucker. Check out the nominees for the main four categories below.

Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny
Bruno Mars
BTS
Harry Styles
Justin Bieber
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Sabrina Carpenter

New Artist of the Year

Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Katseye
Leon Thomas
Olivia Dean
Sombr

Album of the Year

Cardi B – Am I the Drama?
Fuerza Regida – 111xpantia
Justin Bieber – Swag
Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Morgan Wallen – I’m the Problem
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
Playboi Carti – Music
Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Tate McRae – So Close to What
Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl

Song of the Year

Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
Huntrix: Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – “Golden”
Kehlani – “Folded”
Leon Thomas – “Mutt”
Morgan Wallen – “I’m the Problem”
Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Sombr – “Back to Friends”
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”

Who are the AMAs 2026 performers?

KATSEYE was announced as the first performer for this year’s AMAs followed by Twenty One Pilots and Teddy Swims. KATSEYE is set to sing their newest single, “Pinky Up,” while Twenty One Pilots will perform “Drag Path.” Teddy Swims will take the stage with “Mr. Know It All.” See the full list of performers below.