How To Watch The 2022 SAG Awards
Tuning in has never been easier.
The Academy Awards are considered the crown jewel of awards season. However, those Oscar handouts are the culmination of a months-long process that sees everyone put in their votes, from film critics associations to the BAFTAs. The most important of these are the Guild Awards, including everything from directors and producers to costumes and sound. The most high profile is the Screen Actors Guild Awards, rewarding both movies and television. Here’s how to watch the 2022 SAG Awards, which are streaming for the first time.
Officially known as SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television & Radio Artists), the SAG Awards are considered one of the most critical bellwethers ahead of the Oscars. These are the nominations and awards handed out to actors by a jury of their peers, who genuinely understand the artistic work it takes to embody a character.
The SAG Awards are also unique in that they honor ensembles, something no other awards show does. For shows like Game of Thrones, This Is Us, and others that are dependent on ensemble work with no clear leads for Best Actor or Best Actress, this is one of the few times the chemistry of the whole cast gets recognized. This is also one of the only ceremonies where stunt performers are honored. As one of the most challenging jobs in the industry, their fellow actors understand just how hard they work.
But perhaps the most important thing to note is that, in the Year of our Lord 2022, SAG-AFTRA has recognized where audiences are and is meeting them there by putting the ceremony on streaming.
Unlike other awards ceremonies, the SAG Awards have continuously been broadcast on TV, starting with the first ceremony in 1995. For the first three years, the show was on NBC. It then moved to the Turner networks, first on TNT and then simulcast on TNT and TBS.
For those with cable (or cable log-ins), the show will be available as it always has been, broadcasting live on both networks. And it’s bringing a reason to tune in, with a Hamilton reunion featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, and Leslie Odom Jr. as the opening act.
But, for those following the “who owns what” of streaming to figure out where your favorite shows are, WarnerMedia owns the Turner networks. That’s the same company that owns HBO and HBO Max. SAG-AFTRA will be taking full advantage of that, streaming the ceremony on HBO Max.
It’s not the first time a high-profile awards show has been available on streaming. For example, the Oscars (which air on ABC, owned by Disney) stream the next day on Hulu (also owned by Disney). The 2021 Emmys, which aired on CBS (owned by Paramount), streamed the next day on (you guessed it!) Paramount+.
But HBO Max is a little different. Unlike Hulu and Paramount+, which regularly stream whatever aired the night before on their associated broadcast network, HBO Max does not stream Turner programming as a matter of course. (Sorry, Snowpiercer fans.) The HBO brand is also not generally associated with airing live ceremonies. HBO doesn’t host awards; it just wins them.
It’s a bonus for fans who can’t stay up on Sunday night but don’t want to miss one of the most important awards shows in the acting community.
The 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards air live on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT and TBS, and stream directly following on HBO Max.
