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How to Watch the Critics Choice Awards Online without Cable (2024)

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The 28th Critics’ Choice Awards are set for Sunday, January 8th. (The time is not yet set.)

In a hurry? The 27th Critics’ Choice Awards aired on both The CW and TBS. We will update when we know for sure if they return for the 28th event. These services should allow you to watch the event.

  • Fubo: With 150+ channels, it offers something for everyone. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Provides everything you expect from cable with many options. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
  • Sling TV: Probably the best streaming service in terms of customization with a super low price and a 50% discount on your first month!

If you can’t watch your favorite sports, TV and movies because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve. Signup now.

In a hurry? Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that offers this TV channel/sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the sports, movies, and TV you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

ExpressVPN

1. ExpressVPN: Established VPN provider in 105 countries. Smart DNS, a built-in ad-blocker, and unlimited bandwidth. Try it with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

Are you ready for the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards?! We don’t yet know where they will air. But a good bet is that they will be on the same channel as the 27th show: The CW and TBS.

Read on to find out how you can get in on all the red carpet action without giving any nods to cable.

The Critics’ Choice Awards

The Critics’ Choice Awards are presented by the Critics Choice Association (CCA), which was founded in 1995 as the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and is the largest critics’ trade group in the United States and Canada.

Since 2011, it has also included the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. While nominations for film and television are announced separately, the winners are presented their awards in one big ceremony.

The Critics’ Choice Awards have traditionally ceded the first weekend in January to the bigger, glitzier Golden Globes. This is true even though the CCA is much larger (500 members across North America), diverse, and transparent than the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which presents the Golden Globes.

Both the CC and the GG film awards are regarded as prognosticators of the Academy Awards (statistically, the CCs are better predictors). Nominations and wins for either award are said to catch the Academy’s eye. Similarly, the CC TV awards typically go on to win Emmys.

Being filmmakers themselves, the Academy often doesn’t have time to watch all the films under consideration. The CCA, however, is a body of experts whose job it is to watch, dissect, and report on every movie or show that comes out. This often leads to a more informed vote than the more esteemed institute, and somewhat more Hollywood “street cred” than the HFPA, which has been under some controversy for the past year.

The 28th Critics’ Choice Awards

We don’t have a lot of information abut the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards except that they are set for Sunday, January 8th, 2023.

Check back toward the end of 2022 for more information!

The 27th Critics’ Choice Awards

2022 marked the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards that aired Sunday March 13 at from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles. Taye Diggs returned for the fourth year in a row of hosting, and this year comedian Nicole Byer (Nailed It!) joined him.

The CCA gives awards in more categories (21 total) with more nominees than any other major awards show. They range from the standard “best picture” and “best actor” and so forth to “craft” awards similar to the Oscars (visual effects, song, score, makeup, costumes, cinematography, etc).

Unlike the Academy Awards, they have an ensemble category, and categories for young actor/actress and comedy. Genre-specific awards for horror, sci-fi, and action movies have been moved to the newly-minted Critics’ Choice Super Awards.

This year, Belfast and West Side Story were the leaders in film nominations with 11 each; Dune and The Power of the Dog closely followed with 10 each. All four were up for Best Picture, along with CODA, Don’t Look Up, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, and Tick, Tick … Boom!

TV nominations included HBO’s Succession (8 nominations) and Mare of Easttown (5), Paramount Plus’s Evil (5), Only Murders in the Building (4), Ted Lasso (4), The Good Fight (4), This Is Us (4), and WandaVision (4).

Critics’ Choice Awards on TV

It’s no secret that viewership across all awards shows is declining (even Super Bowl ratings are down). So in an effort to make the telecast more accessible, the Critics’ Choice Awards are becoming one of the first awards ceremonies to be televised on both broadcast and pay TV stations.

This year, the awards will be on The CW and TBS. We discuss how to actually access these below.

Watching the Critics’ Choice Awards Without Cable

Good news, awards show fans! You can watch the CC Awards over the air (OTA) on The CW, or you can watch it on any pay-TV service that carries TBS. You can watch on The CW via antenna. Or you can watch on either with a streaming service. Many provide access to one or both. So fear not, red carpet connoisseurs, you can ditch your cable service and still catch all the jitters, drama, and fancy dresses.

Antenna

The CW, while not as long-standing as the Big 4 Networks, is a widely available broadcast network. And just like NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, if you live near enough to a station tower, you can tune in — for free.

Just one catch: you need an antenna. Fortunately, HD antennas are cheap and easy to set up. They generally start under $50, and you find a place to hang the thing and plug it into your TV.

Once you have an antenna, you can pick up any networks local to you totally free. The CW itself covers over 97% of TVs in the US, so there’s a good chance you can pick it up. But, if you aren’t willing or able to get an antenna, there is an alternative.

FuboTV The CW
The CW and other local channels on FuboTV.

Streaming Services

There are now several services that provide alternatives to traditional cable or satellite. They stream live TV over the internet. Because there are several, you have a real choice in which provider you use, and all of them are commitment and contract-free.

  • FuboTV: Fubo was built from the ground up for sports fans, particularly fans of international soccer. But it’s also an excellent general entertainment cable-replacement service for non-sports fans. The basic Starter package offers over 130 channels and comes with 1000 hours of cloud DVR, streaming on up to ten devices at once, and includes 4K on select channels where available. FuboTV does not carry TBS, but they do have great OTA coverage across the country, so you should be able to tune into your local affiliate of The CW. The base plan costs $79.99/mo after a free trial. For more, see our FuboTV review.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: For those who liked everything about their cable company except being locked into a contract, there’s DIRECTV STREAM, the only streaming service to feature its own proprietary set-top box (not required) so you can really get that whole cable feel down. Its base tier, Entertainment, starts at $79.99/mo for roughly 80 channels, unlimited cloud DVR as long as you sign-up online, and streaming on unlimited devices in your home simultaneously. They’re also the only service that offers the Bally regional sports networks, but you have to shell out for the Choice tier or better ($108.99/mo). All plans include the broadcast networks, such as The CW, as well as TBS. Get the details in our DIRECTV STREAM review.
  • Sling TV: Sling is a great lower-cost option for people who don’t want a huge channel package or the price tag that comes with it. It has two base package options for $40.00/mo: the 30+ channel Sling Orange (ESPN and Disney) or the 40+ channel Sling Blue (NBC and Fox). TBS comes with either one. Both packages come with 50 hours of cloud DVR, which is upgradable to 200 hours for a fee. You can also combine them into a 50+ channel package for $55.00/mo. Save 50% on Sling TV now! Our Sling TV review has more information.
  • Hulu + Live TV: A great overall streaming service, especially for households with diverse viewing habits. It offers over 85 live TV channels, ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu’s on-demand library. You also get unlimited cloud DVR storage (9 month storage)and the ability to watch simultaneously on two screens upgradable for a fee. The most glaring omission to the live channel lineup is AMC and its sister channels (Sundance, IFC, Allblk, weTV). But it does have all the broadcast networks available in your area, including in all likelihood The CW, and it also carries TBS. Cost: $76.99/mo. See our Hulu Live review.

Devices to Live Stream the Critics’ Choice Awards

Sling TV - TBS - Android
TBS on the Android-based Sling TV app.

All of the services we’ve discussed support the major streaming devices: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, and web browsers.

Hulu, Sling, and FuboTV support Android TV, LG and Vizio smart TVs, and Xbox gaming systems. Hulu also supports Nintendo Switch and PlayStation systems. Optionally, DIRECTV STREAM has its own device.

If you didn’t see your device, check out streaming reviews, which also list the less popular devices.

Wrapping Up

The date of the Critics’ Choice Awards may still be up in the air, but the Critics Choice Association promises glitz, glam, and tipsy celebrity acceptance speeches just as soon as Omicron safely allows.

Until then, you could maybe catch up on last year’s winners: Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, George C Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 all took home multiple awards. Stay tuned to see who will win this year!

FAQs

When were the 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards?

The 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards were set to air on January 9th, 2022 but they were postponed due to COVID-19. The same thing happened to the 26th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. They were eventually held Sunday, March 7th. The 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards will air on Sunday, March 13 at .

What films were up for Best Picture?

  • Belfast (Focus Features)
  • CODA (Apple TV+)
  • Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
  • Dune (Warener Bros)
  • King Richard (Warener Bros)
  • Licorice Pizza (Universal)
  • Nightmare Alley (Disney)
  • The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
  • Tick, Tick… Boom! (Netflix)
  • West Side Story (20th Century)

What were the big winners at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards?

  • Best Picture: The Power of the Dog
  • Best Drama Series: Succession
  • Best Comedy Series: Ted Lasso
  • Best Limited Series: Mare of Easttown
  • Best Movie Made for TV: Oslo
  • Best Animated Series: What If…?
  • Best Foreign Language Series: Squid Game
  • Best Talk Show: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
  • Best Comedy Special: Bo Burnham: Inside.

How to Watch Other Awards Programs

Here’s how to watch other popular awards programs throughout the year:

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That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

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