If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

Hosted by comedian Marcello Hernández, the biggest names in sports will attend the 34th annual ESPY Awards to recognize nominees and honorees in more than 20 categories, including best athlete, men’s and women’s sports, breakthrough athlete and many others.

The ESPYS will take place at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City tonight, Wednesday, July 15. The show begins at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on ABC and airs live on DirecTV and ESPN Unlimited.

Sports stars including Jalen Brunson, Shohei Ohtani, Matthew Stafford, Alysa Liu, A’ja Wilson, Myles Garrett and others are expected to attend. In the meantime, check out a full list of ESPY Award nominations and honorees here.

The sports celebration also includes performances by De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick and Savannah Bananas.

When will the 2026 ESPY Awards be held? Date, time

The ESPYS begins at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, and the preview show begins around 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on ESPN.

ESPY Awards 2026: How to watch the awards ceremony online for free

The awards ceremony is available to watch on ABC, so you can watch it with a DirecTV subscription, which comes with a 5-day free trial. The streaming network is also available on Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and ESPN Unlimited.

Priced at $59.99/mo for the first month of service ($89.99/mo afterward), you get access to the streaming service’s “Entertainment” package for ESPYS on ABC, along with over 90 local, broadcast and cable channels. The streamer comes with unlimited cloud DVR for recording programming, as well as 105 additional channels from DirecTV’s “MyFree” networks.

Get an unlimited subscription to ESPN here for $29.99/month, which will give you instant access to live streaming online. Unlike pay-per-view events, ESPYS is available to stream online for free to ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

For new subscribers, the ESPN Unlimited package comes with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 per month. The package comes with ESPN Unlimited, as well as free Disney+ and Hulu when you purchase access to the live stream.

However, the streaming service does not come with a free trial, but there is a smart solution if you want to watch ESPN Unlimited for free. Learn more about how to watch online for free here.

ESPN Unlimited features everything ESPN has to offer, including access to all of its networks and streaming services, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN on ABC, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network and ESPN+. It’s the ideal streamer for sports fans who want it all.

Sling TV is one of the best options for affordable live streaming with the Sling Orange + Blue package starting at $60.99 per month. The package includes ABC and ESPN, as well as more than 50 other channels, 50 hours of cloud DVR for recording programming, and a library of free on-demand movies and TV shows.

Fubo is one of the best options to stream ESPYS. The service has ABC for the delivery of sports awards. It even has over 220 live TV channels for wireless streaming and unlimited cloud DVR. Watch the event with Fubo’s 5-day free trial. You can even stream on up to two devices at the same time.

For another great option for watching ESPYS, check out Hulu + Live TV to stream live channels with access to ABC and ESPN. Starting at $89.99/month, the streaming service has over 90 more channels, as well as access to hit originals on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited.

The 2026 ESPY Awards begin at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT and air on ABC tonight, Wednesday, July 15. Watch on TV through your local ABC affiliate or live stream the awards ceremony online with DirecTV.