The BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 will be announced tonight at the 68th annual BBC Sports Personality awards live event that starts at 6.45pm GMT. The six BBC SPOTY 2021 nominees are Tom Daley, Tyson Fury, Adam Peaty, Emma Radacanu, Raheem Sterling and Dame Sarah Storey. Voting will be open during the programme.
Date: Sunday, December 19, 6.45pm GMT / 1.45pm ET
TV channel: BBC One
Free live stream: BBC iPlayer / BBC Sports website
Watch anywhere: try Express VPN 100% risk-free
The BBC SPOTY show comes live from MediaCity in Salford and will celebrate the stories and sports stars of the last 12 months of sport which includes both the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as well as the Euro 2020 tournament and the year's tennis Grand Slams.
The show will be hosted by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott and will feature two other important awards – the Young Sports Personality of the Year 2021 and the World Sport Star 2021 – before building up to the big one. Other awards include the Team and Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and Unsung hero.
Sadly, there will be no studio audience this year but anyone can head over to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year website and vote for their favourite sports star of 2021. Read on for more details on how to watch the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sports website.
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How to watch BBC SPOTY 2021 online FREE in the UK
BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sports website are the only places to watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021. The programme starts at 6.45pm GMT / 1.45pm ET / 10.45pm PT. Tune into BBC SPOTY 2021 FREE-to-air on BBC iPlayer if you're a UK citizen stuck outside the UK by using a good VPN.
How to watch BBC SPOTY 2021 away from the UK
Licence fee payers currently away from the UK will need to use a VPN to make sure they can access BBC iPlayer and watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021, if based in America or elsewhere.
A VPN can effortlessly circumvent the regional restrictions. A VPN – short for Virtual Private Network – can alter your IP address to that of your country back home, allowing you to access film and TV content that would be otherwise be inaccessible.
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How to use a VPN
Three simple steps to using a VPN to watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021.
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1. Download and install a VPN - we recommend ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the relevant server location - launch the VPN app, click on 'choose location' and select the right location i.e. UK for iPlayer
3. Head to the chosen broadcaster's live stream - in this case, head to the BBC iPlayer
Can I watch BBC SPOTY 2021 in the US, Canada and the rest of the world?
The simple answer is…no. BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 is exclusive to the BBC.
If you're a BBC licence fee payer away in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or elsewhere, then you'll need to use a good VPN to watch the BBC SPOTY 2021 on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sports website, as detailed above. Luckily, it couldn't be easier to get started with a good VPN.
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BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 nominees
2021 Sports Personality of the Year
- Emma Radacanu
- Tyson Fury
- Tom Daley
- Raheem Sterling
- Adam Peaty
- Sarah Store
Young Sports Personality of the Year 2021
- Jude Bellingham
- Sky Brown
- Ellie Challis
World Sport Star 2021
- Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez
- Rachael Blackmore
- Tom Brady
- Novak Djokovic
- Max Verstappen
- Elaine Thompson-Herah
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Dan is Editor-in-Chief, VPN and How to Watch, at Future. He heads up all the VPN content and how to watch articles. So, if you want to know about what is the best VPN or how to watch just about anything on TV, anywhere in the world, he's a good bet to ask. Dan has worked in tech journalism for over a 15 years, writing for Tech Digest, Pocket-lint, MSN Tech, Wareable and What Hi-Fi? as well as freelancing for T3, Metro and the Independent. Dan has a keen interest in playing and watching football. He has also written about it for the Observer and FourFourTwo and ghost authored John Toshack's autobiography, Toshack's Way.