How To Watch the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards From Home

From ELLE

As with most things in 2020, the MTV Video Music Awards are looking a little different this year. But, surprisingly enough, the celebration of this year's best music videos will actually be live and in-person. Keke Palmer is hosting this year's event, which will take place in outdoor venues around New York City on Sunday, August 30. (Previously, the show has taken place inside Brooklyn's Barclays Center.)

This marks the first non-virtual awards show since the coronavirus pandemic began in the U.S., although, according to MTV, there will still be pre-taped segments and speeches. The 2020 VMAs will also feature two new categories for our time—Best Music Video From Home and Best Quarantine Performance. (Hopefully those are one-and-done additions.) This year's nominations are led by several high-power women, including Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga (9 nominations each), Billie Eilish (6 nominations), and Taylor Swift (5 nominations). The Weeknd also tops the list with six of his own nods.

Performances are expected from BTS, Gaga, Grande, and Miley Cyrus with her new single "Midnight Sky." It's been a long time for all of us since we saw a wild, unexpected, and live awards show filled with top-tier performances. Here's how to watch it all unfold.

How do I watch the 2020 MTV VMAs?

This year's show will air on Sunday, August 30, 2020 at 8 PM ET/PT. If you have cable or a login, the show will be broadcast across ViacomCBS networks, including BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nick at Nite, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1 and The CW. If streaming is more your speed, the VMAs will also be available at vma.mtv.com, as well as the MTV app.

Other streaming services available (many with free trial options) to watch the New York City broadcast include:

• Hulu Live

• YouTube TV

• AT&T TV Now

• Sling TV

• Philo

• fuboTV

Will there be a pre-show?

Yes, a 90-minute pre-show event will precede the VMAs. It'll air on MTV and stream on the channel's website at 6:30 PM ET/PT. The pre-show will be hosted by MTV's Nessa Diab and Jamila Mustafa, with a lineup of guest performances. Tune in for music from Chloe x Halle, Machine Gun Kelly, Lewis Capaldi, and Jack Harlow.

Who is performing and what are the top categories?

As it turns out, artists are just as anxious to perform live again as viewers are to watch them. Gaga and Grande will perform their summer collaboration, "Rain on Me," while Cyrus will sing her new song "Midnight Sky." Her return to the VMAs stage is a year after the emotional "Slide Away" rendition that followed her split from husband Liam Hemsworth. Other performers include BTS, The Weeknd, Doja Cat, CNCO, Maluma, and the Black Eyed Peas.

A starry lineup of presenters has been confirmed, according to Variety. They include Bella Hadid, Drew Barrymore, Machine Gun Kelly, Joey King, Nicole Richie, Madison Beer, Bebe Rexha, Anthony Ramos, Kelly Clarkson, Sofia Carson, Jaden Smith, and Travis Barker.

The year's top award is Video of the Year and nominees include Eilish's "everything i wanted," Gaga/Grande's "Rain On Me," Swift's "The Man," The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" and Eminem and Juice Wrld's "Godzilla." Artist of the Year nominees include Gaga, The Weeknd, DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, and Megan Thee Stallion, fresh off the success of her and Cardi B's "WAP." Meanwhile, the Song of the Year category pays homage to a few TikTok classics, including Doja Cat's "Say So," Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage," and Roddy Ricch's "The Box."

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