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The 59th annual CMA Awards is almost here. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, the ceremony is set for Wednesday (Nov. 19) and will broadcast live on ABC. With a jam-packed lineup of performances, including Keith Urban, Shaboozey, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, this is one night country fans don’t want to miss.
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Don’t have cable? We’ve put together a guide on how you can stream the 2025 CMA Awards online for free. Keep scrolling to see who’s performing, who’s nominated, and the best streaming services to use to watch the event live, including DirecTV.
How to Watch the CMA Awards Online for Free
Because the CMA Awards is airing on ABC, there are multiple ways to watch and stream the show live and on-demand – and for free in most cases. If you don’t have access to cable, streaming is the best choice. Fans can stream the award show on DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
DirecTV
Join DirecTV with a five-day free trial to enjoy your favorite sports and other entertainment. The streaming service’s signature packages feature more than 90 channels: ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV, ESPN2, FS1, SEC, MLB Network, TLC, CBS, USA, Bravo, E!, BET, MTV and more.
A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with ABC — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $49.99 for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterwards). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.
Fubo
FuboTV offers a seven-day free trial when you sign up for one of its plans. You’ll gain access to more than 200 live TV channels — including ABC — so you can watch the 2025 CMA Awards for free. After your free trial is over you’ll be charged the subscription price based on the plan you choose or you can cancel at anytime.
Sling TV
Sling TV is offering new half off off their first month with any of its three packages. You can choose from: the Orange, Blue or Orange + Blue. Rather than choose between the two, you can combine the two with the Orange + Blue package, which will give you access to more than 50 channels, DVR storage and the ability to stream on up to three devices.
Hulu + Live TV
For the most content offerings, you can sign up for Hulu + Live TV and get access to the Hulu library in addition to more then 95 live TV channels (including ABC). The streaming platform starts at $64.99 per month for the first three months of service ($82.99 per month afterwards).
And, for even more programming, Hulu + Live TV now comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited, which gives you everything within the Hulu library, in addition to exclusive content on ESPN for even more sports coverage.
Who’s Nominated?
This year marks the first time that three female solo artists have shared the lead for nominations at the CMA awards. Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson are the top nominees with six nods each. They are followed by Zach Top with five nods; Riley Green and Cody Johnson with four nods each; and Kristian Bush, Carson Chamberlain, Luke Combs, Charlie Handsome, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen with three nods each. For the full list of nominees, click here.
Who’s Performing?
Here are the performers that have been announced (so far) for the 2025 CMA Awards.
- Keith Urban
- Little Big Town
- Kelsea Ballerini
- BigXthaPlug
- Brandi Carlile
- Kenny Chesney
- Luke Combs
- Riley Green
- Miranda Lambert
- Ella Langley
- Patty Loveless
- Megan Moroney
- Old Dominion
- The Red Clay Strays
- Shaboozey
- Chris Stapleton
- Zach Top
- Tucker Wetmore
- Lainey Wilson
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
