# Sports stars gather in New York for the ESPY awards ceremony

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/heres-how-to-watch-the-2026-espy-awards-online-for-free/
- Published: 2026-07-16T08:32:07+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-16T14:48:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Billboard
- Original article: https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/espy-awards-2026-how-to-watch-live-online-livestream-free-1236290897/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- ESPYs returned to New York for the first time in five years on 15 July.
- Ceremony aired live on ABC, hosted by Marcello Hernández.
- Free-trial streaming options included DirecTV, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.

## Summary

Billboard has published a viewer's guide for the 2026 ESPY Awards, explaining how sports fans without cable can watch the ceremony free of charge via trial subscriptions to services such as DirecTV, Sling TV, FuboTV and Hulu + Live TV. The guide matters to cord-cutters because it marks the ESPYs' return to New York City for the first time in five years, with a starry line-up of nominees and performers broadcast live on ABC.

The 34th annual ESPYs took place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on Wednesday 15 July at 8pm ET/PT, hosted by Marcello Hernández. Nominees included Jalen Brunson, Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, A'ja Wilson and Aryna Sabalenka, with performances from De La Soul, Ghostface Killah and Slick Rick. For those without cable, DirecTV and FuboTV offered five-day free trials and Hulu + Live TV a three-day trial, while Sling TV's Blue plan (from $45.99 a month) also carries ABC, giving several no-upfront-cost routes to stream the broadcast.

## Coverage

- [Billboard: Sports stars gather in New York for the ESPY awards ceremony](https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/espy-awards-2026-how-to-watch-live-online-livestream-free-1236290897/)
- [Variety: ESPY Awards 2026 Livestream: Here’s How to Watch the Sports Awards Ceremony Online](https://variety.com/2026/shopping/news/how-to-watch-espy-awards-2026-live-online-free-1236809721/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.