America’s longest running singing competition is bringing the love this Valentine’s Day and we have all the details on how you can watch the latest season of American Idol on TV or online.
The search for this season’s next American Idol began back in August when virtual auditions for this year’s contestants were conducted over Zoom. The contestants who impressed the judges were then given a chance to perform in-person at several cities across the U.S. As was the case with past seasons, the first few episodes of season 19 of American Idol will showcase these virtual auditions as well as those that took place in front of the show’s judges.
Judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will all be returning this season alongside the show’s original host Ryan Seacrest and in-house mentor Bobby Bones. In a recent interview with Parade, Lionel Richie revealed that one of the biggest changes this season is the fact that contestants will get to choose their format. At the same time, the judges also went from room to room and worked with the contestants more than they have in previous seasons.
The stakes are also high for American Idol’s fourth season on ABC as last year it was the number one show on Sundays as well as the most social TV series on broadcast television. While season three had to be completed virtually due to the pandemic, a number of precautions have been put in place this season to ensure that American Idol can be filmed in a studio at Hollywood for all rounds.
Whether you’re a long-time fan of the show that’s been watching since 2002 or are looking to find your next favorite artist, we’ll show you how to watch American Idol online from anywhere.
American Idol – When and where?
The 19th season of American Idol will premiere on Sunday, February 14 at 8pm ET/PT on ABC and new episodes of the show will air weekly at the same time.
Watch American Idol from anywhere
We have all the details on how you can watch American Idol in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia further down in this guide. However, if you want to watch the latest season of the show live when you’re away from home, then you’ll run into problems as your domestic coverage online from abroad will likely be geo-blocked.
That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that’s back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.
VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service’s 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?
Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.
How to watch American Idol in the U.S.
If you live in the US and have a cable subscription, you’ll be able to watch new episodes of American Idol every Sunday at 8pm ET/PT on ABC. You can also stream the show online after it airs on ABC’s website but you will need to login with the credentials from your cable provider to do so.
Don’t want to sign up for cable just to watch new episodes of American Idol on ABC? Don’t worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, that will give you access to the network so you can watch the show online. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.
- Hulu with Live TV – $54.99 per month – As well as giving you access to ABC, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
- YouTube TV – $65 per month – YouTube TV gives you access to ABC as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 7-day trial is available.
- AT&T TV Now – $65 per month – AT&T TV Now will give you access to ABC and the service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels. You can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.
- FuboTV – starting at $64.99 per month. FuboTV gives you access to ABC as well as over 80 other channels. The service also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test it out for yourself.
Watch the latest season of American Idol in Canada
Fans of American Idol in Canada will be able to watch new episodes from the latest season of the show every Sunday at 8pm ET/PT on Citytv. You can also stream the show on Citytv’s website but you will need to sign in with the credentials from your TV provider to do so.
Get an American Idol livestream in the UK
If you live in the UK and want to watch the latest season of American Idol, you’ll need a Netflix subscription as the streaming service makes new episodes of the show available every Tuesday.
Live stream American Idol in Australia
While Foxtel used to be the home of American Idol in Australia, the network chose not to renew the rights to air the show last season and unfortunately, no other Australian broadcaster has acquired the rights since. This means that you’ll need to grab a VPN and follow the instructions above to watch the latest season of American Idol down under.
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