TL;DR
The 68th Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 1, on CBS at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) and stream live and on demand on Paramount+, with Kendrick Lamar leading nominations.
Why This Matters
The Grammy Awards remain one of music’s biggest global stages, drawing millions of viewers worldwide and often reshaping careers overnight. The 2026 ceremony, the 68th edition, reflects how fast the industry is changing – from the rise of streaming to the blurring of genre lines.
New award categories, including one focused on traditional country music and another on album artwork, signal how the Recording Academy is trying to recognize a wider range of talent, both in sound and in visual design. The show also highlights growing diversity in mainstream music, with Spanish-language acts such as Bad Bunny competing in major all-genre fields.
For viewers in the U.S., how to watch has become a practical question. With many households mixing traditional TV with streaming services, the telecast on CBS and the simultaneous stream on Paramount+ are a snapshot of where live events now live – across platforms rather than on a single channel.
Key Facts & Quotes
According to CBS News, the 68th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 1, from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The main telecast airs on CBS television stations starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (5 p.m. Pacific Time).
In the U.S., the Grammys will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can watch live and rewatch on-demand, while Paramount+ Essential subscribers will be able to stream the show on-demand beginning Monday.
A red carpet special from CBS Los Angeles is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern, hosted by anchor Kalyna Astrinos and entertainment journalist Grae Drake. It will stream on CBS News Los Angeles, and viewers in the Los Angeles market can also see it on the KCAL channel.
The Recording Academy has added two new categories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, bringing the total number of awards to 95. The former Best Country Album category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album.
Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s field with nine nominations, including Album of the Year for “GNX,” marking his fifth consecutive studio album to receive an Album of the Year nod – a first for any artist, according to CBS News. Lady Gaga, producer Jack Antonoff and Canadian producer Cirkut earned seven nominations each. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas and Canadian audio engineer Serban Ghenea each received six nominations. CBS News notes, citing Variety, that Bad Bunny is the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated in the same year for song, record and album of the year.
Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammys with 9 nominations 🔥
Already 22 wins and could pass Jay-Z as the most-winning rapper ever this Sunday. 👑 pic.twitter.com/APsiA5ua8c
— Awesome (@icecyclone) January 31, 2026
The eight Best New Artist nominees – Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Sombr and The Marias – are all slated to perform. Additional performances are scheduled from Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Clipse with Pharrell Williams. Tribute segments will feature Lauryn Hill honoring D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, and a separate performance by Post Malone, Duff McKagan, Slash, Chad Smith and Andrew Watt honoring Ozzy Osbourne.
Presenters include three-time Grammy winner Harry Styles and rapper-singer Doechii, who is already a Grammy winner and is nominated for five awards this year. Speaking about the unpredictability of the telecast, one performer told CBS News, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. So that’s what I love about the Grammys is it’s live; it’s happening; it’s on the fly.”
What It Means for You
For viewers, the 2026 Grammys offer multiple ways to tune in, whether you rely on a free over-the-air broadcast or a streaming subscription. If you have access to a local CBS station through cable, satellite, or an antenna, you can watch live at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific). Cord-cutters with Paramount+ Premium can stream live; Essential-tier subscribers can catch up on-demand starting Monday.
The event is also a guide to what’s next in popular music. Performances from Best New Artist nominees and tributes to influential musicians often introduce audiences to new names and sounds. For those who follow cultural trends, the show’s new categories and the prominence of Spanish-language music highlight how the industry is broadening who and what gets recognized. Checking your local listings, time zone, and streaming plan ahead of Sunday night can help ensure you don’t miss the moments people will likely be talking about on Monday.
Sources
- CBS News, “How to watch the 2026 Grammy Awards,” accessed Feb. 1, 2026.
- Variety reporting on Bad Bunny’s historic nominations, as cited by CBS News, accessed Jan. 2026.
What part of the Grammy Awards – live performances, major categories, or tributes – most influences whether you decide to watch the show?
