CMA Fest 2026: Here’s How to Watch the Country Music TV Special Online for Free

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Hosted by Riley Green and Lara Spencer, the 2026 CMA Fest presented by SoFi features some of the hottest recording artists in country music performing live throughout Nashville. Although the music festival took place in early June, it was edited into a three-hour TV special broadcast that airs on Thursday (June 25) on ABC.

How to Watch 2026 CMA Fest Live Online, At a Glance:

Who’s Performing During 2026 CMA Fest?

There’s a number of performances by famous recording artists throughout CMA Fest, such as Jason Aldean, Ella Langley, Tim McGraw, Cody Johnson, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman and others. Check out a list of performers during the TV special here.

How to Watch the 2026 CMA Fest Online

CMA Fest airs on Thursday (June 25) at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. It also streams the following day, Friday (June 26), on Hulu. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch live online for free with a free trial from DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.

A subscription to DirecTV, which comes with ABC, gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels with the streamer’s “Entertainment” package, starting at $59.99 per month for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterward). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.

Sling TV offers the Blue plan, which comes with ABC. With more than 40 channels, the streaming plan goes for $45.99 per month and comes with a free cloud DVR and additional free channels. Please note: Pricing and channel availability vary from market-to-market.

With prices starting at $63.99 per month for the first month of service ($88.99 per month afterward), Fubo’s “Pro” plan is a cable alternative streaming service that offers the CMA Fest broadcasts on ABC. The plan features more than 200 other channels, including NBC, CBS, FOX, CMT and others. Fubo comes with a five-day free trial, so you can try out the service before you commit month-to-month.

For the best streaming bundle, you can sign up for Hulu + Live TV and get access to the Hulu library in addition to more than 90 live TV channels, including ABC. The streaming platform starts at $89.99 per month. And, for even more programming, the streaming service comes bundled with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. It comes with a three-day free trial to watch CMA Fest for free.

The 2026 CMA Fest airs on Thursday (June 25), with a start time of 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. The best way to watch online is with DirecTV.

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