Despite the fact that streaming services are slowly taking over the Emmy nominations with their original programming with House of Cards and Transparent snagging 11 nominations each, it's surprisingly difficult to stream the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards. In fact, there's no free livestream through which to watch the awards show, which airs live tonight, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox. Well, a legal one anyway.
Obviously, you can watch the telecast on Fox if you have access to it, but if you don't, what's an avid TV viewer like yourself to do in this situation? You could skip out on the awards show altogether, but then you'll miss Andy Samberg's sure-to-be hilarious hosting stint, shenanigans from celebrity presenters, including Amy Poehler, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Taraji P. Henson, and maybe history being made if Transparent becomes the first series from a streaming service to win the Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series."
On second thought, you don't want to miss any of that, so you've got to figure out a way to watch this awards show. Luckily, we are living in a multiplatform world, and you are — or should be — a multiplatform girl — or boy. Just because you can't livestream the Emmys for free doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other ways to follow along with the awards show online or on your phone as it's happening. We're better than that, world.
Here are some options to watch the Emmys live tonight as well as a few to help you catch enough of the awards show so that you don't feel left out of office chatter come Monday morning.
Watch It On Fox
Watching the Emmys on TV when it airs live on Fox starting at 8 p.m. EDT is probably your best bet if you don't want to miss a second of the awards show. If you don't have cable, or a TV for that matter, you can always find a friend who does and will let you park yourself on his or her couch to watch the Emmys. TV is all about bringing people together, after all.
Stream It
Here we go...the 66th Primetime #Emmys start NOW! Tune in and make sure to check out Backstage Live on https://t.co/UrSfXpdzOV! #emmyschat
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) August 26, 2014
Some cable providers also allow you to stream live TV, but you're going to need a log-in to access it. Though there may not be a free livestream of the actual Emmys telecast, there is a free livestream of the backstage area that you can watch while the awards show is going on. The Emmys will be bringing you Backstage LIVE! again this year, using 15 cameras to show you everything that goes down behind-the-scenes of the awards show. Through Backstage LIVE!, you'll be able to see winners pick up their statues and give interviews. It may not be as entertaining as watching them give their acceptance speeches in the heat of the moment, but at least you'll be able to see some of that Emmy magic play out live.
Follow Along On Twitter
.@TheEmmys are this Sunday!!! #host #hosting #hoopdreams #scorchtrials pic.twitter.com/2lVps6AvNo — The Lonely Island (@thelonelyisland) September 14, 2015
Last time I checked, Twitter is free, so you can always follow along with the awards show in real-time that way. You just need to follow the right accounts. Obviously, you're going to want to follow the Twitter account of the Television Academy, the organization that awards the Emmys, for updates on who brings home trophies this year. Following TV critics is also a good idea for some insightful and witty commentary on what happens during the night. Some of my favorites include The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum, New York Magazine's Matt Zoller Seitz and HitFix's Alan Sepinwall. And don't be afraid to follow your favorite TV stars and celebrities for a more up-close and intimate look behind-the-scenes of the Emmys. The Lonely Island, Ricky Gervais, Amy Schumer and Tatiana Maslany should all have some entertaining tweets for you.
Watch Highlights On YouTube Later
Last year, the Television Academy's YouTube channel had a fairly comprehensive collection of the most important moments from the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, so it's likely they will do the same this year. This included clips of the major awards being presented and accepted, backstage thank you's from winners and some of the night's funniest moments, such as Weird Al Yankovic's TV theme song medley. Of course, these were uploaded to YouTube the day after the Emmys aired, but it might just be the easiest and cheapest way to be all caught up on this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.
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