The Critics Choice Awards honors the highest achievements in the cinematic and TV industry. This year marks the 30th CCA ceremony and, like last year, it’ll take place at the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport. While there will be a live broadcast of the awards ceremony, you need this guide if you want to know how to watch Critics Choice Awards outside the U.S.
Note: The awards were scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 12, but have had to be postponed due to the devastating fires in Los Angeles, California. The new date is Sunday, January 26, and the ceremony will start at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET.
You can only watch it in the U.S., though, so if you’re somewhere else in the world, you’ll need to use a VPN (Virtual private network) to unblock it. A VPN will help mask your true location, and the best VPN for the task is NordVPN. Read on to find out more, as well as how to watch the Critics Choice Awards online free.
Where Can I Watch the Critics Choice Awards?
You can watch the 2025 Critics Choice Awards live on E! or the next day on Peacock. The 2024 Critics Choice Awards were broadcast live on The CW, but for 2025, the CCAs will be hosted by NBCUniversal, hence the channel change.
Critics Choice Awards Streaming Options
If you want to watch the Critics Choice Awards live on E! but don’t have cable or are outside the U.S., you can sign up for a live TV streaming service such as Fubo or Sling Blue. We’ve put all of your options for streaming E! in the table below, as well as Peacock for on-demand next-day streaming.
| Streaming on: | Free Trial | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Fubo | 7-days | From $79.99/month |
| 3-days | From 82.99/month | |
| Yes, duration varies | From $82.99 | |
| DirecTV Stream | 5-days | From $102/month |
| Sling Blue | No | $50.99/month* |
| No | From $7.99/month |
How to Watch Critics Choice Awards Online Free With a VPN
In this section, we’ll show you how to watch the Critics Choice Awards for free by using a live TV streaming service’s free trial and a VPN’s money-back guarantee. We’ve used the top choice, NordVPN, and Fubo for this example. If you want to stream the next day on Peacock, just know that the service unfortunately does not offer a free trial.
You’ll likely need a U.S. payment method no matter what live-streaming service you pick. The same applies for if you want a Peacock subscription instead. If you don’t have one, a service like StatesCard will provide you with a virtual U.S. card, complete with a U.S. billing address, making signing up easy.
- Sign Up for a VPN
Go to the NordVPN website and purchase one of NordVPN’s plans — opting for the two-year plan reduces the overall cost by 74% (plus 3 months free) if you plan to keep it, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to stream completely free.
- Install the VPN’s App
Download the VPN onto the device you want to stream the awards and install it. Once it’s installed, launch the app and log in.
- Connect to a U.S. Server
Use NordVPN’s server list in the sidebar or the interactive map to find a U.S. server. Then, click on the server to connect.
- Sign Up for Fubo and Start Streaming
Sign up for a live-streaming platform like Fubo. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, meaning you can cancel once you’ve watched the awards. Remember, if you don’t have a U.S. payment method, a virtual card service can help. Tune in to E! at the correct date and time — remember to convert the U.S. time to your time zone — and watch the Critics Choice Awards for free.
The Best VPNs to Stream Critics Choice Awards Online
Whether you want to watch the CCAs live or on-demand the next day from outside the U.S., you need a decent VPN under your belt to get access. The best streaming VPNs have fast speeds, top unblocking ability and lots of servers. Our top suggestions are below.
- NordVPN — It has fast speeds, can unblock streaming services easily and has plenty of U.S. servers. It also includes an interactive server map. Choose the two-year plan for the best price, all plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our NordVPN review for more details.
- Surfshark — Allows unlimited simultaneous connections and includes top features for a budget cost. It’s fast and can bypass geoblocks with its large server network. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee and you can read our Surfshark review for more information.
- ExpressVPN — An excellent VPN with premium features and performance, but at a higher cost. Its two-year plan makes it more affordable. Plus, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for peace of mind. Read our ExpressVPN review to learn more.
privadovpn ” id=”best-free-vpn-to-stream-critics-choice-awards-privadovpn”>Best Free VPN to Stream Critics Choice Awards: PrivadoVPN
PrivadoVPN is one of the best free VPNs we recommend. It can unblock streaming services, has servers in 10 countries, including the U.S., and provides unlimited data. It’s fast, though your speeds are capped after you hit 10GB of data every month — you’ll be fine watching the CCA’s. Take a look at our PrivadoVPN review for more on the service.
30th Critics Choice Awards Nominees & Presenters
For the third year running, comedian and actress Chelsea Handler will host the 30th Critics Choice Awards. This year’s nominees include ‘Wicked’ and ‘Conclave,’ both with 11 nominations each, and ‘Dune: Part 2’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ with 10 nominations each. FX’s ‘Shogun’ has also received some nominations, as has ‘What We Do in the Shadows.’
Some of the 2024 Critics Choice Awards winners include ‘American Fiction’ for Best Adapted Screenplay and Emma Stone for Leading Actress in ‘Poor Things.’ Three songs from the ‘Barbie’ movie, among others, were nominated for the Best Song category including ‘Dance the Night’ and ‘What Was I Made For,’ but ‘I’m Just Ken’ was the winner.
Plus, films like ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘Barbie’ and ‘Past Lives’ were nominated for the Best Picture category, with ‘Oppenheimer’ taking the win.
Below we’ve provided the nominations for both the film and TV sectors, starting with the best picture category. These are the official lists from the official Critics Choice Association website.
Final Thoughts
While the Critics Choice Awards were meant to take place on the second weekend of January, the date had to be moved to January 26 due to the life-threatening fires in L.A., California. When it does go ahead, we hope you now know how you can watch it outside the U.S. with the help of a VPN.
NordVPN is without a doubt the best tool for the job, due to its excellent speeds and unblocking ability. Plus, the 30-day money-back guarantee means you can get a refund when you’re done.
For more awards-show-streaming, check out our guides on how to watch the Emmys, how to watch the Tony Awards and where to watch the Golden Globes.
Which movies or shows are you happy to see nominated for this year’s awards? Will you stream it live or on-demand? Will you need to use a VPN? If so, which one will you choose? Let us know in the comments section and, as always, thank you for reading.
FAQ: Critics Choice Awards
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The 2025 Critics Choice Awards will air on E! In the U.S. You can also watch it the next day on streaming service Peacock.
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Peacock is the official streaming option for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. However, you can’t watch it there until the next day. If you want to stream it live, you’ll need to purchase a live TV streaming subscription that includes the E! channel, such as Fubo. Both options are restricted to the U.S., but a VPN can help you gain access.
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For the third year in a row, Chelsea Handler will host the 2025 Critics Choice Awards.
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Yes, you can watch Critics Choice Awards on Fubo. A Fubo plan includes the E! channel. If you sign up for Fubo, you can watch the Critics Choice Awards live there. However, Fubo is only available in the U.S., so you’ll need the help of a VPN if you’re not located there.