How to Live Stream the MTV VMAs

Rock out to the music on your computer, TV, or mobile device

by
S.E. Slack
S.E. Slack
Strategy Director, Lifewire.com
S.E. Slack has 30+ years' experience writing about technology. She has authored 12 books and thousands of articles, and she has worked for IBM and Microsoft.
our editorial process
S.E. Slack
Updated on August 26, 2020

You can watch the entire MTV VMAs show for free if you have an antenna or a cable subscription. Cord-cutters can watch the entire live stream from a computer, tablet, smartphone, or television with a compatible streaming device and any service that offers MTV.

Event Details

Date: September 9, 2021

Time: 8 p.m. ET/PT (The pre-show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

Host: TBD

Channel: MTV

Stream it on: MTV, MTV.com, or the MTV app; AT&T TV Now; fuboTV; Hulu + Live TV; Philo TV; Sling TV; or YouTube TV

How to Watch the VMAs Live Stream with MTV

MTV owns the rights to air the VMAs, but you have plenty of streaming options to choose from and catch the entire show (plus pre-show antics).

You can go straight to MTV.com for the VMAs or you can stream the VMAs to your phone, tablet, or even television streaming device with the MTV app. The app is available for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, and more.

Either way, you'll need to provide your streaming provider, cable or satellite credentials to gain access to a live stream of current MTV programming.

Other Ways to Live Stream the VMAs

There are a number of streaming services that offer MTV in their programming lineups. For all, you just need to sign into your account on whatever device you're using and find MTV at the designated times.

The following services offering MTV all offer free trials of some sort so if you don't already have a streaming service, you can try one out as you watch. Learn more about:

You Can Also Use a VPN to Watch the Emmys Online

Lots of television streaming services are region-locked. This means it might be difficult or even impossible to use these services if you live in a restricted area. To get around these restrictions and stream the VMAs, you can try using a virtual private network (VPN).

Not all VPNs can circumvent region locks, though. Even if you manage to avoid a region lock, a streaming service might insist that your billing address match your physical location plus be inside a supported geographical area. Most VPN services have free trials so it's worth a shot if you really can't get access to a live stream.

If the Official VMAs Live Stream Isn't Available to You

If you live in an area where MTV isn't available even through any of the available streaming services, then there's no official way to stream the awards show. However, you might be able to turn to less official means to watch the awards.

Unofficial streams are less reliable and usually lower in quality, but they do exist. Sources like Ace Stream, for instance, allow you to stream events like the VMAs straight from other viewers.

Other sites provide similar streams that you can watch without downloading anything at all. If you want to use this method, wait until the day of the awards and search the internet for VMAs Ace Stream content IDs or unofficial VMA live streams.

Before visiting unfamiliar sites in your search for this type of content, install a good ad blocker and antivirus program. Watch out for malicious pop up ads, and never provide your email address or credit card number. You're on your own if you try this route; use these sorts of services at your own risk.