It’s that time of year again when MTV celebrates the short-form genre that put it on the map. Music videos may be the domain of YouTube nowadays, but guys, MTV has been doing this for a long time! Tonight, the annual MTV Video Music Awards will return to New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the venue that first hosted the event in 1984. (The awards took place in Los Angeles last year.) The telecast is set to begin tonight (Monday, August 20) at 9 p.m. ET with an opening performance from Cardi B. A pre-show is slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Weirdly, MTV has kept the host secret. Cardi B leads the list of nominees with 10, including Video of the Year for her collaboration with Bruno Mars on “Finesse.” The Carters (aka, Beyoncé and Jay-Z) have eight nominations, while Childish Gambino and Drake each have seven. Pitchfork has the full list here. If you’re a cord-cutter looking to watch the VMAs on your computer, phone, or smart TV, we’re here to help. MTV is owned by Viacom, which doesn’t always make it easy to stream its content without cable, but you do have a few options. I’ve rounded up the best choices below:<doc-sep>Live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City it’s the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards! In what’s sure to be a star-studded night, the 35th annual Video Music Awards will begin with a performance from Cardi B, who also leads all artists with twelve VMA nominations. Jennifer Lopez will receive this year’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and fans will be treated to performances by Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, and many others. Looking for a 2018 MTV Video Music Awards live stream? Here’s how you can watch the VMAs online. WHEN DO THE VMA AWARDS COME ON? WHAT TIME DO THE VMAS START? WHAT TIME ARE THE VMAS ON TONIGHT? The VMAS 2018 will air Monday, August 20 from 9:00-11:15 pm ET. The 2018 MTV VMA Pre-Show, which features a performance from The Backstreet Boys, kicks off at 8:00 pm ET. HOW CAN I FIND A VMA RED CARPET LIVE STREAM? You can watch the VMAS red carpet on MTV, MTV.com, or by following MTV’s live stream coverage on Twitter or Facebook. HOW CAN I FIND A 2018 VMAS LIVE STREAM? HOW CAN I LIVE STREAM THE VMAS? The 2018 MTV VMAS will air on MTV and Comedy Central, which means it’s also available to live stream (as long as you have a cable login) on MTV.com, CC.com, and the MTV app. After you sign-in with your TV provider, you can download the MTV app via iTunes, Google Play, Roku, Apple TV, and more. You can also find a MTV Video Music Awards live stream if you’re a Sling TV, Philo, or DIRECTV NOW subscriber. More information about these services (and free trial information!) below. HOW TO WATCH THE VMA LIVE STREAM VIA SLING TV This is a terrific time to check out Sling TV. The service’s Blue package, which includes access to FOX, NBC, USA, NFL Network, and more, normally costs $25 a month, but the company is currently offering subscribers a free one-week trial of the service. Then, from there, you can either download the Sling desktop app (if you’re watching on a desktop or laptop computer), or download the Sling app for iOS/Apple devices, Android, Roku, Microsoft, Nexus player, ZTE or XBox One. You can add MTV to Sling’s Blue or Orange package with the “Comedy Extra” package for an extra $5 a month. CAN I WATCH THE VMAS ON HULU? Nope. Hulu with Live TV doesn’t currently offer MTV. CAN I LIVE STREAM THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS ON PHILO? You bet. Launching in November of 2017, Philo is a a streaming-bundle service featuring 40 channels (AMC, Discovery, BET, History, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount Network, and TV Land just to name a few) for only $16 a month. Interested? New subscribers can sign up for a 7-day free trial. HOW CAN I GET DIRECTV NOW? DIRECTV NOW is a streaming service from AT&T that you can enjoy for as little as $35 per month. Available to watch on your TV, computer, or while you’re on the go, DIRECTV NOW offers flexible packages like the “Live a Little” package — which features 60+ channels (including ESPN and ESPN 2) for $35 month — and the “Gotta Have It” package — which features 120+ channels for $70 a month. You can download the DIRECTV NOW app on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. Sound interesting? DIRECTV NOW is currently offering a free seven-day trial.<doc-sep>The Academy Awards are out of touch, the Primetime Emmys are bleeding viewers and the Golden Globes sorely miss Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. In these desperate times saturated with bloated ceremonies that can’t seem to reflect the pulse of the people, what are consumers to do? We don’t actually know, but we can start with tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards. The yearly telecast is back and set to honor the music industry with gallantry, praise, live performances and what viewers hope to be an avalanche of viral moments (is Kanye invited this year?). While Katy Perry handled hosting duties in 2017, surprisingly the show doesn’t have a host this year. We’ll see if the experiment pays off, but a slew of great presenters including Kevin Hart, Blake Lively and Tiffany Haddish will show up to help fill the void. Here’s everything else you need to know about the show. MTV VMAs Time & Schedule Date: Monday, August 20 Time: 9 p.m. EST Location: Radio City Music Hall, New York City TV Channel: MTV Online Live-Stream: MTV Watch the MTV VMAs Online and on Your Phone If you’re trying to live-stream the MTV Video Music Awards online, you’re in luck. MTV’s official website will present the entire telecast, with the pre-show beginning at 8 p.m. and the main show kicking off at 9 p.m. However, you’ll need cable or satellite subscription login information in order to watch the ceremony. If you’re on the go and trying to catch the show on your phone or tablet, MTV still has you covered. The telecast will air live on the MTV app and will also be available on Xbox One and Roku. Who’s Nominated? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8L74Hdl0rM Cardi B leads the pack with 12 nominations. She’s set to open the show with a live performance just weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Kulture Kiari. The Carters (Jay-Z and Beyoncé) are a close second with eight. Childish Gambino and Drake are tied for third with seven nominations each. Here are the other nominees in some of the main categories: Artist of the Year Camila Cabello Cardi B Drake Ariana Grande Post Malone Bruno Mars Song of the Year “Havana” — Camila Cabello “God’s Plan” — Drake “New Rules” — Dua Lipa “Rockstar” — Post Malone “Finese (Remix)” — Bruno Mars “Perfect” — Ed Sheeran Best New Artist Bazzi Cardi B Chloe x Halle Hayley Kiyoko Lil Pump Lil Uzi Vert Who’s Performing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3f6JII_rSM The pre-show, which kicks off at 8 p.m., will feature live performances from the Backstreet Boys, Bazzi and Bryce Vine. The main show will include performances from Cardi B as well as Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Logic and Ryan Tedder, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Panic! at the Disco, Maluma and Aerosmith. The PUSH Artist Stage will feature performances from Bazzi, Juice Wrld, Hayley Kiyoko, PrettyMuch and Jessie Reyez. During the show, Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award before her performance (she hasn’t performed at the VMAs since 2001). This year, she is nominated in two categories for her new single “Dinero.”<doc-sep>Update: You can relive the full 2018 MTV VMAs show online now that the official website has a replay from start to finish. We've updated our how to today. Watching the MTV VMAs online takes a few steps, and MTV once again didn't put it front and center on its site, instead directing everyone to a behind-the-scenes video stream. That's not what you want. With the right link (below), you were able to live stream the Video Music Awards 2018 from start to finish – from from the Backstreet Boys at the top of Radio City Music Hall to Aerosmith and Post Malone closing things out. Warning: in order to watch JLo and other big performers in full, you will need to have a cable or satellite provider username and password to log. Alternatively, you could watch VMAs online when it's on repeat (and MTV has it on repeat – often) by subscribing to an video streaming service, including YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, or Sling TV. All of these streaming options, of course cost money, but watching is a lot cheaper than a monthly cable bill. Finally there's a way to get quicker online video recaps for free, highlighting the top on-stage performances and award portions. That may be the way to go if you want on-demand video. Here's our beef with the annual MTV VMAs presentation: every year, MTV seems to throw up a live stream on its website that simply shows you behind-the-scenes and crowd reactions to the top performances. Who wants to see pixelated crowd audience reactions when Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj are performing on stage unseen? Only by going to MTV Live where we able to see the full MTV VMAs and their performances. Watching it on an iPhone or Android phone The best way to watch the MTV VMas online through a phone is to do it from an app. Whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, point it to the official MTV app. That's where you'll be able to livestream the 2018 awards. But, again, you'll need your cable credentials handy, or subscribe to YouTube TV or Sling TV. Just ignore the behind-the-scenes MTV likes to distract you with. According to Twitter, there are many confused watchers seeking the full MTV VMAs. We'll continue to update this page to point you in the direction of the full MTV VMA 2018 video replay when it goes online. Stay tuned.<doc-sep>
Though the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards are officially going host-free, the awards ceremony is still set to be a glitzy blast. The ceremony is slated for tonight — Monday, August 20 — and will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Performers will include Ariana Grande and Panic at the Disco, and the presenter lineup features a wide range of talent, from Tiffany Haddish to the Backstreet Boys. Here’s everything you need to know. How to watch When: Monday, August 20, at 9 pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific (with the preshow kicking off at 8 pm Eastern/5 pm Pacific). MTV will air the awards live on both coasts. Live stream: If you have a TV provider login, you can live-stream the awards on MTV Live. Additional coverage will be available on MTV’s YouTube page. Several subscription-based TV streaming services — DirecTV Now, Philo TV, and SlingTV — will also stream the VMAs via MTV. Cardi B leads the nominations, with Beyoncé and Jay-Z close behind If Cardi B sweeps the VMAs this year, she’ll take home a whopping 10 Moon Person trophies. That said, her competition is fierce. Beyoncé and Jay-Z — officially nominated as the Carters — have earned eight nominations for the song “Apeshit,” from their joint album Everything Is Love, and Childish Gambino and Drake have seven nominations each. The six nominees for Video of the Year — one of the biggest awards of the night — are Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B, the Carters, Childish Gambino, Drake, Ariana Grande, and Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug. Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande are among those set to perform Ariana Grande, who has five total nominations including Video and Artist of the Year, will perform her new single “God Is a Woman” from her album Sweetener. Also set to perform during the ceremony are Shawn Mendes (“In My Blood”) and Logic (“One Day”). Nicki Minaj, who has picked up three VMA trophies in the past, is set to appear as well, in a “special remote performance” from a “secret, iconic location” in New York City. The teasing around Minaj’s performance only ups the intrigue, especially given the recent release of her fourth album, Queen. Minaj is nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video for the song “Chun-Li.” Jennifer Lopez will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award The 2018 VMAs will also see Jennifer Lopez join the ranks of David Bowie, the Beatles, and, of course, Michael Jackson as the recipient of the 2018 Vanguard Award. That means she’ll also perform some of her greatest hits live during the ceremony, in a medley that marks the first time she’s performed at the VMAs since 2001.