How to Watch the Inauguration Live

After a lengthy and contentious election, Joe Biden will finally be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. Joe Biden’s inauguration will put a cap on the Trump era and usher in a new administration that hopes to curb the spread of COVID-19, stabilize the economy, and address the very real threat of white nationalist violence and domestic terror, among other goals.

While President Trump has made it clear that he will not be attending Biden’s inauguration, Americans of all stripes should make it a point to tune in for the historic day. What time is the inauguration? How do I watch the Biden inauguration live on TV? Consider this your official Biden-Harris inauguration TV guide.

WHEN IS THE INAUGURATION?

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the 46th president and 49th vice president of the United States on Wednesday, January 20. The inauguration will take place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, the same building attacked two weeks ago by a pro-Trump mob.

WHAT TIME IS THE INAUGURATION TODAY?

Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony will begin at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Wednesday. Afterwards, he will give his inaugural address, a long-standing tradition for newly sworn-in presidents.

WHERE TO WATCH THE INAUGURATION LIVE

Practically every major network, cable news service, and digital platform will be airing some kind of inauguration coverage throughout the day on January 20. The bulk of inauguration TV coverage begins Wednesday morning and will carry on throughout the early afternoon before taking a break ahead of Biden’s star-studded primetime special, Celebrating America.

HOW TO WATCH INAUGURATION COVERAGE ON TV

Cable customers should have an easy time finding the Biden-Harris inauguration. Here’s everything you need to know about timing for various channels:

ABC: Inauguration coverage begins Wednesday morning with a special episode of Good Morning America at 7 a.m. ET. Coverage will continue throughout the day, with special primetime programs The Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. – An ABC News Special, Celebrating America, World News Tonight, and Nightline airing later Wednesday evening.

CBS: CBS This Morning will kickoff coverage live from Washington beginning at 7 a.m. ET. Norah O’Donnell will then take over special coverage at 9 a.m., with assistance from the network’s many correspondents and reporters.

NBC: A special edition of Today will air at 7 a.m. ET with co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin, news anchor and Today 3rd Hour co-host, reporting live from Washington. Coverage will continue throughout the day, before culminating in an expanded one-hour edition of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Fox News: Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino will begin Inauguration Day coverage at 9 a.m. ET with a live report from Capitol Hill. Later, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will anchor Fox News’ Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr.: 46th President special.

CNN: In-depth coverage will begin in the early hours Wednesday morning (as in, 5 a.m. ET) and continue all day. Expect to see coverage from Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, and Van Jones, among others.

MSNBC: Live inauguration coverage begins at 6 a.m. with Morning Joe. MSNBC anchors Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Joy Reid will continue coverage throughout the day, beginning at 9 a.m.

PBS: PBS NewsHour will provide live coverage beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on PBS stations across the country.

WHERE TO WATCH INAUGURATION 2021 LIVE ONLINE

No cable? No problem. Customers with a valid subscription to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and other live cable services can livestream their favorite networks (including CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News) all throughout inauguration day. Additionally, you can access cable live streams on the following digital platforms:

ABC News Live: ABC’s digital streaming service will air live coverage beginning at 9 a.m. ET and continue throughout the day. Watch ABC News Live here.

CBS News: CBS News is offering live digital coverage beginning at 7 a.m. ET with CBSN AM. Stream CBS News digital coverage across CBSN, CBSNews.com, the CBS app, and CBS News social accounts.

Fox News: Fox News viewers can watch inauguration coverage live at FoxNews.com, through the Fox mobile app, or through streaming service Fox Nation. The network’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts will also be broadcasting Biden’s swearing-in ceremony live.

NBC and MSNBC: NBC and MSNBC coverage is available to stream live with a cable log-in at  NBCNews.com and MSNBC.com, or on the NBC News app. You can also find an NBC special event coverage via NBC News NOW, which can be streamed for free live and on demand on Peacock, The Roku Channel, YouTube TV, Amazon Fire TV, and social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

CNN: Joe Biden’s inauguration and related commentary will stream live in their entirety on CNN’s digital platforms, including CNN.com, the CNN app, and CNNgo. A cable log-in is not required to access the live stream.

PBS: PBS NewsHour’s live inauguration coverage will also air on the program’s digital and social platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.

HOW TO STREAM THE INAUGURATION: MORE OPTIONS

Still not satisfied? Roku users can also watch Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony directly through The Roku Channel, where you can access free coverage from ABC News, Cheddar, NBC News NOW, Newsy, and more outlets. Plus, the 2021 inauguration will be available to livestream for free on Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft’s Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, and AT&T DIRECTV and U-Verse.

NBCUniversal’s new service Peacock will also be offering free inauguration coverage through its free, exclusive channel The Choice. To stream, sign up for Peacock at peacocktv.com.

And finally, various news outlets, including NBC News, CBS News, and PBS NewsHour, will be live streaming the Inauguration ceremony on YouTube. Check out NBC News’ livestream when it goes live at 7 a.m. ET below.