Those who grew up in the 80s and 90s will no doubt remember it as the peak boy band era. You had bands like Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and much more. So it makes sense that ABC is tapping into that sense of nostalgia this holiday season with a special called “A Very Boy Band Holiday.” Members from the aforementioned boy bands will be showing up to sing both Christmas classics and pop hits.
Now, not everyone from the bands will be showing up. Justin Timberlake will not be showing up to represent NSYNC, although Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick will. But 98 Degrees fans will be happy to know that all four members will appear on the special. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to watch “A Very Boy Band Holiday” without cable.
How to Watch 'A Very Boy Band Holiday' Online and Over the Air Without Cable
We’ve already established that “A Very Boy Band Holiday” airs on ABC, but when can you watch it? Since it’s a festive show, it’s not surprising that it airs in December. More specifically, it airs at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time on Monday, December 6.
ABC does broadcast over the air, which is good news for fans of boy bands. Most people can watch it for free with the right antenna, though we’ll get more into that later. Live TV streaming services are another good option for watching “A Very Boy Band Holiday” without cable, and we’ll discuss that first.
Hulu + Live TV’s name looks like a math problem because the service includes both the regular version of Hulu’s on-demand service and a live TV streaming service. The live TV streaming service is your key to watching “A Very Boy Band Holiday” live when it airs, although you can also catch it afterwards on regular old Hulu. Check out our Hulu + Live TV channel lineup page for more on what you’ll find with this service.
We consider fuboTV an elite streaming service for several reasons, all of which you can read about in our fuboTV review. But for now, all you need to know is that you can use fuboTV to get a livestream of ABC and watch “A Very Boy Band Holiday.”
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is owned by the people over at Google, which means you can get your live TV streaming from the same place that you get your email. YouTube TV has a long list of channels that includes ABC, making it another strong option for watching “A Very Boy Band Holiday” without cable.
Free Over-the-Air TV
If you spent way too much of your allowance money on boy band CDs back in the day, we have good news: You can watch “A Very Boy Band Holiday” without forking over any money. To do that, all you need is an antenna that’s pointing the right direction to pick up your local ABC affiliate. These days, antennas transmit a picture quality that’s good enough for you to see just how much your favorite boy band members have (or haven’t) aged. If that sounds good, our guide to picking out an antenna has more details.
Can I Watch 'A Very Boy Band Holiday' on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
You may want to watch this holiday special on your TV just like you did 25 or 30 years ago, but it’s 2021, so that’s far from your only option. We’ve got smart TVs to go along with all those live TV streaming services. In fact, there’s all sorts of devices you can use to watch “A Very Boy Boy Band Holiday,” so take a look at the chart below for specifics.
| Roku | Fire TV | Apple TV | Android TV | Chromecast | iOS | Android | Web/ browser |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| fuboTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
More to Watch for Fans of Boy Bands
The names change, but every generation has its own boy bands; it’s not something that was just invented in the 80s. If watching “A Very Boy Band Holiday” makes you long for more musical programming, you’ll want to check out the Grammys. They’re typically held in January or February, and while the awards are nice, the performances are the real treat. You’ll see a great mix of both up-and-coming musical artists and legends taking the Grammy stage. Our guide to watching the Grammys without cable has everything you need to know about watching the ceremony live.