Today is the day! The polls are open but, but all accounts, the Trump vs Harris U.S. presidential election is too close to call. After months of tough campaigning, and a change of Democrat candidate, it is time for America to decide. And we have all the information you need to watch U.S. election coverage online for free and from anywhere with a VPN.
The Harris vs Trump U.S. election take place on Tuesday, November 5
• Polls close from: 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. GMT (Nov. 6) / 2 p.m. AEDT (Nov. 6)
• U.S. — Watch on ABC via Sling
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
The final days of the campaigns featured a number of major celebrities, from Bruce Springsteen and Cardi B for Kamala Harris, to the wrestler Hulk Hogan and Space X boss Elon Musk for Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the Vice President appeared on “Saturday Night Live” while her opponent has been on the Joe Rogan podcast. Whether any of these has made a difference remains to be seen.
The polls show the two candidates neck-and-neck, and the decision will likely come down to a few thousand voters in swing states such as Pennsylvania. The earlier results confirm that things are close and it will likely be a good few days before the 47th President of the United States is declared. Read on to find where you can watch 2024 Trump vs Harris U.S. election coverage online from anywhere in the world, with plenty of free live streams available.
How to watch U.S. election online for free
The seismic nature of this year's race to the White House means there is coverage is the world over, some of it FREE.
In the U.S., the ABC News Live website will feature rolling coverage.
You can also tap into free coverage in the U.K. (BBC iPlayer, Sky News, Channel 4) and Australia (SBS, 9Now, 10 Play)
Our full guide to how to watch U.S. election 2024 is below.
How to watch U.S. election coverage from anywhere
Overseas? If you find that the country that you've traveled to is geo-blocking free streams of the Harris vs Trump election coverage there is a way around this — using a VPN. A VPN makes it appear like you're surfing the web from your home allowing you to access the streaming services you'd normally have access to in your home country. Our favorite VPN is NordVPN.
How to watch U.S. election coverage in the U.S.
Coverage of the 2024 U.S. presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be broadcast on all the major networks on Tuesday, November 9.
- ABC coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET / 4p.m. PT. There are several ways you can access ABC, the most obvious being to pull it down with one of the best TV antennas or through your cable plan. ABC will also stream through the ABC News Live website and ABC app. As well as through Disney Plus and Hulu streaming platforms.
- CNN will begin its coverage, anchored by Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, at 4 p.m ET / 1 p.m ET. As well as watching on cable, you can live stream CNN on the CNN Max streaming service and CNN.com.
- Fox News coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT and will be anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. It will be available on cable as well as on the Fox News website and app.
- MSNBC prime-time election coverage also begins at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. It is led, of course, by Rachel Maddow.
- NBC U.S. election coverage starts at 5 p.m ET / 2 p.m PT and is led by Steve Kornaki. It is also going to be available on on Peacock TV (from $7.99/mo), which will be using the multi-view function it debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- Prime Video is getting in on the act too, with a U.S election live stream fronted by former NBC/MSNBC host Brian Williams and former Fox New anchor Sheperd Smith. Prime Video costs from $8.99 per month after 30-day free trial.
ABC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are among the channel line-ups of some of the best streaming services. That includes Sling TV, which offers ABC in selected locations. Other options include Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.
For cord-cutters, many of the main news networks are also available via Fubo, which has a 7 day free trial.
Traveling outside the U.S.? Follow election night coverage from anywhere in the world by using NordVPN to unblock your usual U.S. streamer.
How to watch U.S. election coverage in U.K.
Various UK news channels are offering U.S. election coverage, including for FREE.
- BBC: U.S. Chief Presenters Caitríona Perry and Sumi Somaskanda will lead the BBC's coverage. It starts at 10:40 p.m. GMT on BBC One and the BBC News Channel. You can watch for FREE on BBC iPlayer, but remember that you need to be a licence fee payer.
- Sky News: Chief presenter Mark Austin and world news presenter Yalda Hakim will lead the Sky News coverage from Washington. If you want to sign up to watch, you can check out Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices. Coverage begins at 10 p.m. GMT.
- Channel 4: For the first time in three decades, Channel 4 is offering coverage of U.S. election night. It will have a slightly different tone than its rivals. Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis are anchoring, but "Succession" star Brian Cox, Stormy Daniels, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson are set to join. It all begins at 10 p.m. GMT. You can watch and stream for free on Channel 4.
Not in the U.K.? You can still follow your usual U.S. election night live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch U.S. election coverage in Canada
In Canada, the Harris-Trump election results are available to watch on CBC and CBC News. The primetime special begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, although there is coverage all day.
- America Votes, from at 8 p.m. ET, sees chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault joined on set by The National senior host Ian Hanomansing, senior Washington correspondent Paul Hunter, and chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, to bring you analysis and the latest updates from our journalists on the ground.
- Canada Tonight's Travis Dhanraj picks up our coverage at 3 a.m. ET with America Votes: After the Vote.
You can watch it all on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem and everywhere you stream CBC News.
Traveling abroad for work or on vacation? Access the coverage you usually watch at home with one of the best VPN services – we recommend trying NordVPN first.
How to watch U.S. election coverage in Australia
Although the time difference means most of the action will take place on Wednesday, November 6, Australia's major TV networks have cleared their schedules to show the Trump vs Harris presidential election results coming in.
These include ABC, SBS, Network 10 and Sky News. Free streams are available via SBS On Demand, 9Now and 10 Play.
- SBS will broadcast exclusive LIVE coverage of the 2024 United States Presidential election on Wednesday, November 6 from 10 a.m. AEDT in partnership with PBS News.
- The US Election 2024 – SBS World News & PBS News Special presented by SBS’s Janice Petersen will begin with an hour of US election coverage before crossing to the PBS News Election 2024 Special which is co-anchored by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett.
Overseas and keen to watch through one of these services? You'll find that you can't due to geo-restrictions. To get around these you'll need a service like NordVPN to stream as if you were back home Down Under.
What time will we know the Trump vs Harris U.S. election result?
Given how tight this race is, we might be in for a long one. It's possible we will not know whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump have won until Thursday, November 6 or Friday, November 7.
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