If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Prepare for a night of laughs, nostalgia and really good music. NBCUniversal’s Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary celebrations have all led up to a star-studded three-hour primetime show: SNL50: The Anniversary Special.
Since NBC is broadcasting the event on Feb. 16, cord-cutters can stream it live on any live TV streaming service that carries NBC, including DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling. The show will also be streaming live on Peacock.
Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Dave Chappelle, Steve Martin, Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter and many more SNL alums, current cast members, frequent hosts and musical performers are among those set to appear (full list below).
Keep reading for how to livestream the celebration online for free.
At a Glance: How to Watch SNL50: The Anniversary Special
As mentioned, cord-cutters can watch the event on any live TV streaming service that carries NBC, including DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling. The show will also stream live on Peacock.
Since select streamers are offering free trials and limited-time discounts, viewers can watch the special for free; keep reading to learn more about each option.
DirecTV
Five-day free trial; packages from $86.99
Watch the special for free on NBC with a five-day free trial to DirecTV Stream, which starts at $86.99 per month for the Entertainment streaming plan. The cable streamer offers more than 90 channels, including Fox, CNN, ABC, Disney Channel, CBS, MSNBC, Nickelodeon and HGTV.
Other plans offer over 125-160 channels. Learn more about package options here.
Fubo
Seven-day free trial; packages from $59.99 for first month
Fubo carries NBC and offers a seven-day free trial, allowing new subscribers to watch the 50th anniversary special for free.
The cable streamer carries over 200 other news, entertainment and sports channels, and subscriptions start at $84.99 per month for the Essential package, which is currently on sale for $59.99 for the first month. You can record over 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games and more (including Monday, Thursday and Sunday Night Football) and watch later on your smartphone, tablet or TV.
Other plans include the Pro package (221 channels for $84.99 monthly and currently $64.99 for the first month) and the Elite package (299 channels for $94.99 monthly and currently on sale for $74.99 for the first month). Learn more about package options and how to save here.
Hulu
Three-day free trial; packages from $82.99 per month
Get Hulu + live TV, disney+, ESPN+
Catch the special for free on NBC with a three-day trial to Hulu + Live TV, which comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+, starting at $82.99 per month. Available with or without ads, the live TV streamer also carries ABC, Fox, CBS, E! and 90 other major cable news, entertainment and sports channels.
Sling
Packages from $23 for the first month
New subscribers to Sling’s Blue plan can stream NBC at a discount, as the live TV streaming service is currently half off for the first month. This means new customers can watch SNL50: The Anniversary Special and everything else the Sling Blue plan has to offer for $25.50 for the first month and $50.99 monthly afterward.
Other packages include the Sling Orange plan ($23 for the first month, reg. $45.99 monthly) that offers more than 30 channels, and the combined Sling Orange + Blue tier ($33 for the first month, reg. $65.99 monthly thereafter) that features 46 channels.
NBCUniversal
Packages from $7.99 per month; annual Premium plan currently 63% off
Now through Feb. 18, the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service is running one of its best deals of the year, offering new subscribers 63 percent off one year of Peacock’s ad-supported Premium streaming package with code WINTERSAVINGS (reg. $79.99 annually, currently $29.99).
The Peacock Premium package is also available for $7.99 monthly. Otherwise, the ad-free Premium Plus plan is $13.99 monthly or $139.99 yearly. Both packages include access to more than 80,000 hours of movies and TV show episodes, next-day access to NBC and Bravo series, original series including the four-part SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries, past seasons of current and off-air shows and much more. Peacock Premium also has more than 50 channels and live sports, including MLB Sunday Leadoff, Premier League, Sunday Night Football and WWE.
Peacock’s Premium Plus tier includes all of the above, plus your local NBC channel live, no ads (except on select live TV shows) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline later.
Confirmed guests include several frequent hosts, like Five-Timers Club members Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short and Woody Harrelson.
Also set to appear are Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Kenan Thompson, Fred Armisen, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig.
Watch SNL50: The Anniversary Special on NBC through DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or Sling or stream live on Peacock.
