The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) live stream is about to begin. It takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Expect a load of big names, star-studded performances, and maybe a controversial moment or two.
It all kicks off at 8pm ET/5pm PT on MTV. Read on to find out how to watch it for free from anywhere with a VPN.
The 2023 MTV VMAs take place Tuesday September 12.
► Australia — Paramount Plus
► U.S. — Paramount Plus, Sling TV and Fubo TV
► Canada — CTV
► U.K. — Paramount Plus
► Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
The VMAs are one of the biggest awards ceremonies in the music calendar. Dubbed the "Super Bowl for youth" because of its scale and influence, it always brings out some of the biggest names in the music industry, and where they go, controversy tends to follow.
Whether it's Madonna's kiss with Britney Spears, Lady Gaga's meat dress, Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech, or Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford storming the stage and scaling part of the scenery, the show always catches a few headlines. It's been this way since the early days when Madonna writhed around the stage singing "Like a Virgin" while wearing a wedding dress, Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose's escalating feud (involving Courteney Love taunting Rose and Dave Grohl repeating "Hi Axl!" into his mic), or Howard Stern appearing as a superhero called "Fartman". High brow? Definitely not. But entertaining? Certainly.
This year's promises fireworks of its own. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will team up for a performance billed as "unforgettable", while Lil Wayne returns to the VMA stage for his first performance there in over a decade. But that's nothing compared to P Diddy. The rapper will take to the VMA stage for the first time in two decades, and during the ceremony will be awarded the Global Icon Award.
Marshaling all this is Nicki Minaj, who returns as host for the second year running. The VMAs take place in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Find out how to watch a 2023 MTV VMA livestream from anywhere with a VPN.
FREE MTV Video Music Awards live stream
You can watch on the MTV website or MTV YouTube channel for FREE.
Away from home? Not to worry. You can tune in via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.
MTV VMA live streams around the world
A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.
VPNs are totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.K. and want to view an American service, you'd select U.S. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sling or another website and watch the MTV VMAs live.
How to watch MTV VMAs live streams in the U.S.
You can watch the MTV VMAs on Paramount Plus in the U.S. There's plenty else to enjoy on the service besides, and it's currently running a half-price offer, making it better value than ever.
If you already use these services but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch the MTV VMAs live stream by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN.
How to watch MTV VMAs live stream in Canada
Canadians can watch the MTV VMAs on CTV (Canadian Television Network). It's owned by Bell Media, which also owns MTV, so the music channel is free to stream using the CTV app.
If you're away from Canada at the moment, you can still watch an MTV VMA livestream by using a quality VPN like ExpressVPN.
How to watch MTV VMA live streams in Australia
Oddly, there's no sign in MTV's schedules Down Under to suggest that this year's MTV Video Music Awards will be shown on any of its channels.
That means you'll be relying on Paramount Plus and 7-day FREE trial. Outside of that, plans start from $9.99 a month.
The main 2023 MTV VMA ceremony starts at 10am AEST on Wednesday, 13th September in Australia.
How to watch an MTV VMA live stream in the U.K.
With the live broadcast on in the middle of the night, the U.K.'s MTV channel is leaving it until 9pm on Wednesday, 13th September to show the awards in full, starting with the pre-show.
MTV is a premium channel – it's not on Freeview – so you'll need access to a TV package from the likes of Sky (or Now Entertainment Membership), BT or Virgin.
If you're a night owl who wants to watch the awards as they're shown, then it looks as though you'll be able to watch the ceremony live at 1am on Wednesday morning on Paramount Plus. Subscriptions start from £6.99 a month, but you can take advantage of a 7-day Paramount Plus FREE trial if you haven't before.
2023 MTV Video Music Award performers
- A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
- Anitta
- Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion
- Demi Lovato
- Diddy
- Doja Cat
- Fall Out Boy
- Future
- KAROL G
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Lil Wayne
- Måneskin
- Metro Boomin
- NAV
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Peso Pluma
- Shakira
- Stray Kids
- Swae Lee
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER
2023 MTV Video Music Award nominations
Video of the Year
- Doja Cat – "Attention"
- Miley Cyrus – "Flowers"
- Nicki Minaj – "Super Freaky Girl"
- Olivia Rodrigo – "Vampire"
- Sam Smith and Kim Petras – "Unholy"
- SZA – "Kill Bill"
- Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero"
Song of the Year
- Miley Cyrus – "Flowers"
- Olivia Rodrigo – "Vampire"
- Rema and Selena Gomez – "Calm Down"
- Sam Smith and Kim Petras – "Unholy"
- Steve Lacy – "Bad Habit"
- SZA – "Kill Bill"
- Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero"
Artist of the Year
- Beyoncé
- Doja Cat
- Karol G
- Nicki Minaj
- Shakira
- Taylor Swift
Best New Artist
- GloRilla
- Ice Spice
- Kaliii
- Peso Pluma
- PinkPantheress
- Reneé Rapp
Push Performance of The Year
- Saucy Santana – "Booty"
- Stephen Sanchez – "Until I Found You"
- Jvke – "Golden Hour"
- Flo Milli – "Conceited"
- Reneé Rapp – "Colorado"
- Sam Ryder – "All the Way Over"
- Armani White – "Goated"
- Fletcher – "Becky's So Hot"
- Tomorrow X Together – "Sugar Rush Ride"
- Ice Spice – "Princess Diana"
- Flo – "Losing You"
- Lauren Spencer-Smith – "That Part"
Best Collaboration
- David Guetta and Bebe Rexha – "I'm Good (Blue)"
- Post Malone and Doja Cat – "I Like You (A Happier Song)"
- Diddy (featuring Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, and Yung Miami) – "Gotta Move On"
- Karol G and Shakira – "TQG"
- Metro Boomin (featuring the Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy) – "Creepin'" (remix)
- Rema and Selena Gomez – "Calm Down"
Best Pop
- Demi Lovato – "Swine"
- Dua Lipa – "Dance the Night"
- Ed Sheeran – "Eyes Closed"
- Miley Cyrus – "Flowers"
- Olivia Rodrigo – "Vampire"
- Pink – "Trustfall"
- Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero"
Best Hip Hop
- Diddy (featuring Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, and Yung Miami) – "Gotta Move On"
- DJ Khaled (featuring Drake and Lil Baby) – "Staying Alive"
- GloRilla and Cardi B – "Tomorrow 2"
- Lil Uzi Vert – "Just Wanna Rock"
- Lil Wayne (featuring Swizz Beatz & DMX) – "Kant Nobody"
- Metro Boomin (featuring Future) – "Superhero (Heroes & Villains)"
- Nicki Minaj – "Super Freaky Girl"
Best R&B
- Alicia Keys (featuring Lucky Daye) – "Stay"
- Chlöe (featuring Chris Brown) – "How Does It Feel"
- Metro Boomin (featuring the Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy) – "Creepin'" (remix)
- SZA – "Shirt"
- Toosii – "Favorite Song"
- Yung Bleu and Nicki Minaj – "Love in the Way"
Best K-Pop
- Aespa – "Girls"
- Blackpink – "Pink Venom"
- Fifty Fifty – "Cupid"
- Seventeen – "Super"
- Stray Kids – "S-Class"
- Tomorrow X Together – "Sugar Rush Ride"
Best Latin
- Anitta – "Funk Rave"
- Bad Bunny – "Where She Goes"
- Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma – "Ella Baila Sola"
- Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny – "Un x100to"
- Karol G and Shakira – "TQG"
- Rosalía – "Despechá"
- Shakira – "Acróstico"
Best Rock
- Foo Fighters – "The Teacher"
- Linkin Park – "Lost" (original)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Tippa My Tongue"
- Måneskin – "The Loneliest"
- Metallica – "Lux Æterna"
- Muse – "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween"
Best Alternative
- Blink-182 – "Edging"
- Boygenius – "The Film"
- Fall Out Boy – "Hold Me Like a Grudge"
- Lana Del Rey (featuring Jon Batiste) – "Candy Necklace"
- Paramore – "This Is Why"
- Thirty Seconds to Mars – "Stuck"
Best Afrobeats
- Ayra Starr – "Rush"
- Burna Boy – "It's Plenty"
- Davido (featuring Musa Keys) – "Unavailable"
- Fireboy DML and Asake – "Bandana"
- Libianca – "People"
- Rema and Selena Gomez – "Calm Down"
- Wizkid (featuring Ayra Starr) – "2 Sugar"
Video for Good
- Alicia Keys – "If I Ain't Got You" (orchestral)
- Bad Bunny – "El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente"
- Demi Lovato – "Swine"
- Dove Cameron – "Breakfast"
- Imagine Dragons – "Crushed"
- Maluma – "La Reina"
Show of the Summer
- Beyoncé
- Blackpink
- Drake
- Ed Sheeran
- Karol G
- Taylor Swift
Song of the Summer
- Beyoncé – "Cuff It"
- Billie Eilish – "What Was I Made For?" (from the motion picture Barbie)
- Doja Cat – "Paint the Town Red"
- Doechii (featuring Kodak Black) – "What It Is (Block Boy)"
- Dua Lipa – "Dance the Night" (from the motion picture Barbie)
- Fifty Fifty – "Cupid"
- Gunna – "Fukumean"
- Jungkook (featuring Latto) – "Seven"
- Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua – "Barbie World" (from the motion picture Barbie)
- Olivia Rodrigo – "Vampire"
- SZA – "Kill Bill"
- Taylor Swift (featuring Ice Spice) – "Karma"
- Tomorrow X Together and Jonas Brothers – "Do It Like That"
- Luke Combs – "Fast Car"
- Troye Sivan – "Rush"
- Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – "La Bebe" (remix)
Group of the Year
- Blackpink
- Fifty Fifty
- Flo
- Jonas Brothers
- Maneskin
- NewJeans
- Seventeen
- Tomorrow X Together
Album of the Year
- Beyoncé – Renaissance
- Drake and 21 Savage – Her Loss
- Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains
- Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
- SZA – SOS
- Taylor Swift – Midnights
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