How to watch the Tony Awards live online for free
Broadway's best are getting ready to gather in New York for the 76th annual Tony Awards this weekend. Despite the ongoing writers' strike, the show will go on unscripted — which could end up awkward and messy or delightfully improvisational.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, "Lin-Manuel Miranda had been tapped to write an opener for the Broadway awards show but stopped in solidarity with the WGA."
The Tony Awards were granted permission to broadcast after agreeing to specific requests from the Writer's Guild — one of which required show organizers to scrap the script. West Side Story Oscar award winner Ariana DeBose is still expected to host the ceremony in some capacity, but there won't be any elaborate bits or pre-planned banter, opening number, or closing number. Productions are still expected to perform musical numbers during the ceremony, however.
If you want to tune into the awards live in their unscripted glory, here's what you need to know.
When are the 2023 Tony Awards?
The 76th annual Tony Awards are set for Sunday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at New York's historic United Palace theater in Washington Heights.
Who’s performing at the 2023 Tony Awards?
Performances have yet to be announced, but if the 2023 Tony's follow in past show's footsteps, we can take a guess. Most (if not all) of the nominees from the Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical categories tend to perform at the awards. Here are some of shows you can expect to see performances from this year:
& Juliet
Camelot
Into the Woods
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Parade
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Who are the 2023 Tony Award nominees?
The musical Some Like It Hot scored a baker's dozen nominations this year, making it the most nominated of any show. Other standouts include Ain't No Mo', A Doll's House, and Leopoldstadt, with six nominations a piece. You can take a look at the full list of nominees at the Tony Awards website.
How to watch the 2023 Tony Awards
The 2023 Tony Awards will be broadcast live simultaneously on CBS and Paramount+ Premium. If you're a cable subscriber, you can simply switch the channel over to CBS at 8 p.m. ET on June 11 and you're good to go. Not near a TV? You can also use your cable login at CBS.com to watch live. If you don't have cable, you can only tune into the live broadcast through Paramount+ Premium (not the Essential plan) or a live TV cord-cutting service (more on that below).
Can I watch the Tony Awards for free?
CBS is free over the air in the U.S., which means even without cable, you can watch the show live using an antenna. Don't have an antenna? No worries — you can tune into the Tony Awards via Paramount+ or a live TV cord-cutting service like YouTube TV or FuboTV. You could also ask a cable-subscribing friend or family member for their login information and use it to sign in with a TV provider on CBS.com, but sometimes that's more trouble than it's worth.
Surprisingly, there are a couple of different ways cord-cutters can watch the Tony Awards live and for free (or at least at a discount). For those who don't feel like buying and installing an over-the-air antenna, here are your best streaming options.
Best for Paramount+ newcomers: Paramount+ Premium one-month free trial with code "nachos"
If you've never subscribed to Paramount+ in the past, you can secure an entire month of the Premium plan for free by entering the code "nachos" at checkout. A month of Paramount+ will allow you to watch the Tony Awards for free on June 11 and plenty more series and films throughout the beginning of summer. Just remember to cancel before the month is up if you want to avoid charges. Otherwise, your subscription will renew for $9.99/month. Unfortunately, if you previously subscribed to Paramount+, you won't be able to claim the free trial (unless, hypothetically, you have a separate email address you can use).
Best for Walmart+ members: free Paramount+ Essential
A Walmart+ membership is the gift that keeps on giving. Like Amazon Prime, subscribing comes with many perks beyond free shipping. Walmart+ members also get Paramount+ Essential included with their membership for free. You won't be able to watch the Tony Awards live, but you can watch the broadcast immediately after it airs on your Essential account. New subscribers can score a 30-day trial to kick things off.
There are a couple of ways to save on a Walmart+ membership as well if you're looking to subscribe long-term. Select MyPanera members can get a free three-month Walmart+ subscription (which includes Paramount+), while select Verizon MyPlan members can save $2.95/month on a Walmart+ subscription.
Best cable alternative: YouTube TV free trial
While Paramount+ is the only dedicated streaming service to broadcast the Tony Awards live, many cord-cutting services that serve as cable replacements offer live channels or logins to access live channels, which will allow you to tune in. YouTube TV is our top pick for its extended free trial and 3-month discount. If you sign up around the time of the Tony's, you'll be able to watch the broadcast live and for free during your trial. If you don't want to be charged $64.99 per month, be sure to cancel before your trial period is up.
Best for returning Paramount+ subscribers: save 16% on an annual subscription
If you don't qualify for one of the free ways to watch, you can still score a deal on Paramount+ by subscribing to an annual plan instead of a monthly plan. For the Premium monthly plan, you'll pay $9.99 per month, which comes out to $119.88. But if you pay for an entire year at once, it'll only cost you $99.99 — that's a savings of over 16%. It may not be free, but with a whole year paid for in advance, you can watch the Tony Awards live and plenty more without worrying about canceling in a specific time frame.
Honorable mentions
Paramount+ Essential annual subscription — $49.99/year (save 16%)
Hulu + Live TV — $69.99/month
FuboTV Pro — free 7-day trial, then $74.99/month
DirecTV Stream Entertainment package — $64.99/month for two years