This year’s Billboard Music Awards will take place on October 14 at 5PM PST (8PM EST / 12AM GMT). Hosted at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, this three-hour-long event promises performances from some of the world’s most popular artists including Post Malone, Bad Bunny, and Luke Combs. This is one event you won’t want to miss, and below, we’ll explain how to live stream the 2020 Billboard Music Awards online from the UK, Canada, or anywhere else overseas (outside of America).

You should note that we’ll only be recommending official sources. While there are almost always unlicensed streams of high-profile events like this, we advise against using them. To begin with, the video is often low-resolution, choppy, or on a delay. Additionally, unauthorized streams can be taken down without warning by the copyright holder, meaning you might not even see the end of the ceremony. We’ll explain how to watch this year’s Billboard Awards for free anyway, so there’s no need to use unreliable third-party streams.

You’ll need a VPN to watch the Billboard Music Awards on your usual streaming channels while traveling outside of the US.

How to stream the Billboard Music Awards live with a VPN

With the right VPN, it’s easy to bypass region-locking and use previously inaccessible services abroad. Just follow the steps below to stream the Billboard Music Awards outside the US.

Here’s how to watch the Billboard Music Awards 2020 online from anywhere:

  • First, sign up for a suitable VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN but if you’re looking for a low-cost alternative, NordVPN and Surfshark are both strong choices.
  • Next, download and install the VPN software. There will be a few different apps so make sure to get the appropriate version for your device.
  • Decide which of the official sources below you’d like to use.
  • Connect to a VPN server in the source region. For example, connect one of your VPN’s American servers for NBC.
  • Try loading a video on your chosen platform. It should begin almost immediately but if it doesn’t, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then reload the page.

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards will be broadcast live, meaning any unforeseen issues could lead to you missing the beginning. For this reason, we recommend testing your VPN with the steps above well before this event is due to air. This leaves you plenty of time to get help from your VPN’s customer support team if anything doesn’t work as expected.

How to watch the 2020 Billboard Music Awards for free on US TV

The Billboard Music Awards will be shown on NBC, which means it’s pretty straightforward to watch online. If you already have a cable TV subscription, you can just use your provider details to stream the awards live on NBC’s website. This is completely free, and you don’t even have to create an account.

Don’t have cable? There’s no need to worry; NBC also allows you to sign in with several over-the-top streaming services. fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV all carry NBC, and all offer a free trial. This means that you can sign up, stream the Billboard Music Awards live, and cancel afterward to avoid being charged.

You should note that some of these services require your payment method to be linked to a US address. As such, while Americans in other countries can sign up as normal, it can be difficult for foreign users to register. Hulu allows you to pay via gift card, which simplifies the process somewhat.

The platforms above are only available in the US. As such, you’ll need to use a VPN to connect to an American server abroad.

Will the 2020 Billboard Music Awards be shown internationally?

Details regarding international broadcasts are few and far between. However, we know that Canadian network CTV will show live coverage of the Billboard Music Awards, although you will need a cable TV subscription to stream CTV online. Alternatively, you can simply watch on-demand for free the day after the awards air.

It’s still possible to watch some of what goes on from other countries, however. Usually, Billboard streams live coverage from the red carpet on Twitter, and there’s no reason this shouldn’t happen against this year.

The real reason people watch this event is for the awards themselves, however. No other networks are broadcasting the Billboard Music Awards, so it’s effectively impossible to watch while abroad unless you have a VPN.

Billboard Music Awards: 2020 nominees

This year’s event will see Billboard hand out 55 awards recognizing the best artists from a huge array of genres. Don’t worry, though: as the broadcast will run for three hours, that’s an average of one award every three minutes or so. Below, we’ve compiled a full list of 2020 Billboard Music Awards nominees:

Which artists are expected to do well?

This year, a few major artists dominate the Billboard Music Awards. Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Khalid, and Lil Nas X all seem set to win something, simply based on how many nominations they have. It’s always more interesting when things don’t go as expected, though. Billie Eilish is competing against three Korean groups for the Best Social Artist award; suddenly, it’s not just BTS that performers have to worry about.