Skip to main content

How-To: Stream the 58th Annual Grammy Awards on your Mac, Apple TV, or iOS device for free

The 58th Annual Grammys are broadcasting tonight and thanks to CBS All Access, nearly anyone can watch it for free without a cable subscription or TV set. The show starts at 8PM ET, with a pre-telecast red carpet show at 7PM ET. Viewers can catch the show on CBS’s site, or by using the iOS or Apple TV app. Here’s how to do it for free:

New subscribers to CBS’s All Access can get a free week trial in preparation for tonight’s show using their current Apple IDs. While CBS’ CEO has declined that there have been recent talks with Apple about a streaming TV service, the current state of CBS’ All Access is as close as a user can get today.

This is CBS’ second major broadcast event they will be streaming, after this year’s Super Bowl 50. Having traditionally cable-oriented live events accessible through streaming has helped to bridge the gap many cord-cutters felt in previous years. By making these live events viewable on so many platforms, not only is CBS increasing their viewership reach, but they are providing data to the oft-missed Nielsen ratings that so many networks rely on.

To get ready for the show tonight, be sure to download the CBS app onto your Apple TV or iOS device. I found that the quickest way to create a CBS All Access account was right from the ‘Settings’ screen within the app. From here, a user can select ‘Sign In/ Purchase/ Restore’ and then select ‘Start Your One Week Free Trial’. The app will use your currently registered Apple ID to start the free trial, which it will then automatically charge $5.99 at the end of the week. Users are also able to link current CBS accounts to the new subscription so that they may use it access the live show online with their computers.

Remember, if you’re not happy with the overall CBS subscription, the cancellation process is very similar to canceling Apple Music.

Also Be sure to keep an eye out on the @CBSThisMorning’s Twitter account as Apple Music takes over it for the Grammys.

Will you be streaming the Grammys tonight using the Apple TV, iOS device, or your computer? How do you think this benefits or takes away from a traditional cable subscription in terms of experience or value? Does CBS streaming the Super Bowl 50 and 58th Annual Grammys signify a better or worse future for cord cutters? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

The CBS iOS and Apple TV apps are available for free in the App Store, and CBS’s All Access streaming is available for $5.99/month. The monthly price includes over 7,500 CBS episodes on demand, and the ability to watch CBS live in select markets. New users to the platform are able to get a one week free trial, perfect for tonight’s Grammys.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. el3v3nty - 8 years ago

    After Super Bowl fail, I’m not sure if i’d trust AppleTV / CBS with live streaming. they definitely ‘fumbled’ when it mattered most.

    • Greg Barbosa - 8 years ago

      What issues did you run into during the Super Bowl? Mine never cut out, but there was a small period at the beginning of the game where it lagged, but it was solid after that.

      • el3v3nty - 8 years ago

        The stream would never load on the abs sports app on Apple TV until it was half-time (CBS tweeted about this saying they were looking into it)

    • Nothing to do with Apple. That was all CBs which is obvious.

      • el3v3nty - 8 years ago

        uh… i don’t think so. Roku, PS4 and xBox were up and working perfectly fine after first 5 minutes of hiccups. AppleTV didn’t start the stream until after half time (90 minutes into event).

  2. josephferranti - 8 years ago

    Between paying for cable (Comcast), Netflix & Hulu I’ll pass on signing up with CBS. I think they are wrong offering a service like that when other channels partnered with Hulu to give you the most current episodes the next day. Aren’t they making enough money already.

    • Greg Barbosa - 8 years ago

      I don’t think it’s about making enough money, but rather giving customers ANOTHER way to watch their shows and events. I do think it’s interesting they haven’t really partnered with Hulu (although I vaguely remember a few years back where they did), but maybe they wanted to control the entire viewing experience from top to bottom and this was the only way to do so.

  3. Christopher Paul Dreher - 8 years ago

    my super bowl steaming experience was perfect…i even have a slow internet connection and it was still HD and never lagged…unlike steaming a movie through iTunes…

  4. Giovani Ulisses - 8 years ago

    the live stream is not working for me! in the cbs sports was perfect with SuperBowl. cbs regular app says theres no live for my area

  5. dennyc69 - 8 years ago

    Some say The Grammys?

  6. MaxBay - 8 years ago

    They should pay me to watch the Grammy Awards, but maybe I’m getting old. I voted for the Grammys decades ago.

    The Super Bowl streaming was better than I expected. Tons better than Apple’s fiasco a year or two ago when we started getting Chinese narration. But I will not pay to see it on my iPad. The game is not that important. Enjoyed lots of the ads, though.

  7. What I want to know is will the show also be available to stream following the broadcast through the CBS app? Not sure why that answer is so hard to find. Lol.

  8. Looks like the Grammy’s Stream is part of the “select markets” terminology. Lame. I live in Sacramento, CA and we’re apparently not a “select market.” So much for being the capital… Lmao. I hate tech sometimes. The technology is out there, CBS is just skimping on expanding their markets.