Grounded Reason

Home » Cord Cutting » How To Stream » TV Shows » How to Watch American Idol

How to Watch American Idol

Updated on 2023-09-03 By Heather C. Jackson

Host and judges of American Idol at a blackjack table

Season 21 of American Idol airs on Sundays and Mondays on ABC. The singing competition has become an international phenomenon and shaped reality competitions. The show’s current judges are Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, with Ryan Seacrest serving as host. This article will explain how you can watch American Idol live every week even if you don’t have cable.

  • When Does Season 21 Premiere: Season 21 of American Idol premieres on Sunday, February 19.
  • When American Idol airs: American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET
  • TV Network: American Idol airs on ABC.
  • Best Way to Stream Live: You can stream American Idol live on DIRECTV STREAM. The streaming service provides live ABC and has a 5-day free trial. FuboTV (Free Trial) and YouTube TV(Free Trial) both offer access to ABC live streaming.
Table of Contents
  • Watch American Idol Live Without Cable
    • Watch American Idol on DIRECTV STREAM
    • Watch American Idol on Hulu
    • Watch American Idol on YouTube TV
    • Watch American Idol on fuboTV

Watch American Idol Live Without Cable

Several live TV services offer local ABC stations in nearly all U.S. markets, many with a free trial, so you can watch American Idol for free. All the ways you can stream American Idol‘s 20th season are listed below. All free trials auto-renew when they expire, but you will not be billed if you cancel before the trial ends.

Watch American Idol on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM offers live ABC streaming in many markets. ABC is available through its “Entertainment” package for $79.99 a month, along with a ton of cable TV and other broadcast networks. DIRECTV STREAM offers ABC in over half the markets in the US.

All DIRECTV STREAM plans include:

  • the ability to watch on 20 devices at the same time 
  • a cloud-based DVR
  • channels like ESPN, AMC, HGTV, Discovery, and more
  • supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more

You can try DIRECTV STREAM by signing up for this 5-day free trial. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time.

How Much:  $79.99 per month through the “Entertainment” package. For more information, check out our review of DIRECTV STREAM.

Watch American Idol on Hulu

hulu

Hulu offers live ABC in nearly all US markets along with cable TV and broadcast networks. Therefore, you can watch American Idol every week as it airs on ABC. To see if live ABC is available in your area, you can use this tool: Hulu Live TV Channels by Zip code.

Hulu Live TV costs $76.99 per month. Hulu Live TV includes the following features:

  • Discovery and 60+ other channels including local network channels.
  • Price includes a subscription to ESPN+ and Disney+
  • Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
  • Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
  • Comes with 6 customizable profiles
  • Includes entire Hulu streaming library
  • Supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more.

How Much: Hulu + Live TV costs $76.99 per month.

Watch American Idol Season 21 On-Demand

If you can wait a day, Hulu’s more affordable on-demand service has new episodes of this season available on-demand. You have to wait a day, but the on-demand service starts at only $7.99 per month and offers a 30-day free trial.

How Much: The base package for live TV starts at $76.99 per month. Hulu on-demand starts at $7.99 per month with ads. You can go ad-free for $17.99 per month.

Watch American Idol on YouTube TV

youtube tv

YouTube TV is another great option to watch American Idol live. YouTube TV offers live ABC with its streaming service in nearly ALL markets in the US. The only market where YouTube TV doesn’t offer ABC is the Rochester-Mason City-Austin market, which covers parts of Minnesota and Iowa. (YouTube TV does offer ABC in Rochester, NY and Austin, TX.)

YouTube TV supports Roku, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. Be sure to check out our review of YouTube TV for more information. You can sign up for their free trial.

How Much: $72.99 per month.

Watch American Idol on fuboTV

Fubo TV

FuboTV recently added ABC in the following major markets:

  • Chicago, IL
  • Fresno-Visalia, CA
  • Houston, TX
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • New York, NY
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Raleigh-Durham, NC (Fayetteville)
  • San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA

You can check out FuboTV here. Fubo TV supports the following streaming devices:

  • Android smartphones
  • Android tablets
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Apple TV (4th Generation only)
  • Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
  • Roku
  • Chromecast

For more information on FuboTV features, please see our Fubo TV review.

How Much: FuboTV costs $74.99.

About The Author

Heather C. Jackson

Heather C. Jackson writes for Grounded Reason. She is an editor, costume designer, and self-proclaimed television junkie located in Baltimore. Her work includes copywriting and editing art books, play scripts, and academic work; time as an editor, communications specialist, and publicist in regional theatre; and several years as a home and lifestyle writer and editor.

View all posts by Heather C. Jackson

*Disclosure: Grounded Reason is supported by a small commission for purchases made through product links on this website. We do not accept compensation from companies attempting to sway our review of products.

Need More Information?

If this article didn't answer your specific question, head over to our Home Page! It will guide you to affordable internet providers, streaming services to meet your needs, information on antennas, and many more tools and resources to help you save money on TV and Internet access.

For the latest news tips and tricks on cutting the cord and other tech topics be sure to like our Facebook Page.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Grounded Reason LLC, All rights reserved.

MENU
  • Streaming Services
    • DIRECTV STREAM
    • Hulu
    • Philo
    • FuboTV
    • YouTube TV
    • Netflix
    • Prime Video
    • Peacock
    • Paramount+
    • Disney+
    • Max
    • ESPN+
    • Apple TV+
    • Other Streaming Services
  • Streaming Basics
  • Stream Sports
    • Streaming NFL Games
      • Arizona Cardinals
      • Atlanta Falcons
      • Baltimore Ravens
      • Buffalo Bills
      • Carolina Panthers
      • Chicago Bears
      • Cincinnati Bengals
      • Cleveland Browns
      • Dallas Cowboys
      • Denver Broncos
      • Detroit Lions
      • Green Bay Packers
      • Houston Texans
      • Indianapolis Colts
      • Jacksonville Jaguars
      • Kansas City Chiefs
      • Las Vegas Raiders
      • Los Angeles Chargers
      • Los Angeles Rams
      • Miami Dolphins
      • Minnesota Vikings
      • New England Patriots
      • New Orleans Saints
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • Pittsburgh Steelers
      • San Francisco 49ers
      • Seattle Seahawks
      • Tennessee Titans
      • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
      • Washington Commanders
    • Streaming NBA Games
      • Atlanta Hawks
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
      • Charlotte Hornets
      • Chicago Bulls
      • Cleveland Cavaliers
      • Dallas Mavericks
      • Denver Nuggets
      • Detroit Pistons
      • Golden State Warriors
      • Houston Rockets
      • Indiana Pacers
      • LA Clippers
      • Los Angeles Lakers
      • Memphis Grizzlies
      • Miami Heat
      • Milwaukee Bucks
      • Minnesota Timberwolves
      • New Orleans Pelicans
      • New York Knicks
      • Oklahoma City Thunder
      • Orlando Magic
      • Philadelphia 76ers
      • Phoenix Suns
      • Portland Trail Blazers
      • Sacramento Kings
      • San Antonio Spurs
      • Toronto Raptors
      • Utah Jazz
      • Washington Wizards
    • Streaming NHL Games
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Calgary Flames
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Florida Panthers
      • LA Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Nashville Predators
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
      • Washington Capitals
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • PGA Tour
    • Other Sports
    • MLB
  • Stream Any Channel
  • Stream Local Networks
  • Compare Streaming Devices
  • Stream TV Shows