Entertainment
Here's How To Watch The Royal Wedding In The U.S., So You Can Celebrate In Real Time
On Saturday, May 19, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be tying the knot at Windsor Castle in front of millions of viewers. Not only will all the actual attendees be watching, but tons of viewers will be tuning in from home to catch every last detail. If you'd like to be one of those audience members, then you might be wondering how to watch the royal wedding in the U.S., especially since there's a time difference to consider.
The wedding will begin at noon in London, which is 7 a.m. Eastern Standard time; it'll be even earlier if you're in a Central, Mountain, or Pacific Time zone. There's also all of the preshows and preliminary programming to take into account, which means you could be rising with the sun to guarantee you don't miss a minute of Markle's wedding to the Prince.
Luckily, there are plenty of options when it comes to watching the festivities. If you'd rather rely on your cable provider, you're good to go; if streaming's more your thing, then you're covered there as well. So without much more belaboring, here are all the different ways you can watch the royal wedding when it airs on Saturday.
CBS
Coverage on CBS will begin at 4 a.m. ET on the day in question with a live preshow hosted by Gayle King and Kevin Frazier; Tina Brown will be joining them as well. There will also be a two-hour special, Royal Romance: The Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, airing later that night on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
NBC
Today show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will practically have front-row seats to the event: starting at 4:30 a.m. ET, they'll be commenting on the wedding from a spot overlooking Windsor Castle.
MSNBC
MSNBC will also be tackling the show starting at 4 a.m. ET, but from two locations. Joy Reid will be handling things in New York while Stephanie Ruhle and Katy Tur take over in London.
ABC
Coverage on ABC commences a little bit later than other networks, with Robin Roberts and David Muir reporting at 5 a.m. ET.
PBS
Starting on Monday May 14, PBS is running at five-part series about the wedding that concludes with the live broadcast on May 19 at 4 a.m. ET.
BBC America
BBC America joins the throng of networks kicking things off at 4 a.m. ET, but they boast limited commercial breaks if that's something that's important to you.
Fox News
Ainsley Earhardt of Fox and Friends will also be traveling to Windsor Castle to keep an eye on things at 5 a.m. ET. though Shepard Smith and Sandra Smith take over at 6 a.m. ET.
E!
In the weeks leading up to the wedding, E! will be debuting several wedding-themed specials, but their coverage of the wedding itself starts at 5 a.m. ET, hosted by Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski, Sarah-Jane Crawford, and Melanie Bromley.
HBO
However, if you prefer some satire in your celebration (and you'd like to sleep in a little), then try HBO's The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish! at 7:30 a.m. ET on the day of. Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon will be in character the whole time, making it a more unique take on things.
Movie Theaters
If you'd like to make your viewing experience into something particularly special, then you can actually catch the ceremony in theaters. Fathom Events boasts two hundred theaters showing the wedding across the country, though you'll have to check local listings to see if it's an option for you.
Audio
Apparently, a soundtrack will also be made available on Spotify and Apple Music, though it won't be live. The choral music and spoken ceremony will be captured, as well as released on vinyl on May 25. There will be performances by cellist Sheku Kanneh Mason, Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, the Choir of St George’s Chapel, and the Kingdom Choir, so the idea of an audio recording of the wedding isn't quite as strange as it sounds.
Streaming
Streaming is often the most useful method for many when it comes to watching live TV, and there are a few possibilities. CBSN Live will stream the wedding starting at 4 a.m. ET and a cable subscription isn't necessary to sign in. ABC is streaming through several venues: the ABCNews website, the Good Morning America website, mobile apps, and on social media. The New York Times is joining in as well by streaming on their site. Finally, BBC America is also streaming the ceremony, but you will need a cable provider to log in.
With so many different ways to watch, you're totally prepared for the big event.
