‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’: How to Watch, What Time and What Channel

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the most beloved holiday specials out there, and this year there are a lot of ways to catch it. The program is airing on TV and streaming as well, and ABC has made it especially easy to catch the heart-warming special. Here are all the ways to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

First and foremost, A Charlie Brown Christmas is airing one more time on TV this season — Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The special often airs around the holidays, and it was one of ABC’s first of the season earlier this month. However, if you want to catch it on regular network TV, this is your last chance.

Thankfully, the special is easier than ever to watch online. ABC has actually put the whole special up for free on its website, regardless of subscriptions, packages or locations. This is a big deal for the network, which usually restricts streaming to only major cities in the U.S.

The special is available on the ABC app right now as well, meaning you can stream it on your TV with the help of a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device. You can even use a Chromecast to project it from your phone onto whatever screen you like.

The special is also available on Hulu, but only to the top tiers of customers. Subscribers paying for Hulu + Live TV or Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV can stream A Charlie Brown Christmas whenever they want. However, those packages cost upwards of $50, and are only really popular with cord-cutters following live events like sports.

In today’s age of “streaming wars,” many intellectual properties like Charlie Brown and Peanuts are being gathered and consolidated by big contenders, hoping to make their app indispensable to die-hard fans. The Peanuts are an odd case, however, as their licensing is still split among some of the biggest names in the game.

For example, A Charlie Brown Christmas is airing on the Disney-owned ABC network, however, it is not available to stream on the new Disney+. At the same time, a new Peanuts show is in development for Apple TV+, but the older specials are not there either.

The actual rights to Peanuts are dispersed across several big corporations. Sony Music Entertainment Japan holds just over a 39 percent stake in the brand, while DHX Media holds the same amount. However, DHX has signed a 5-year agreement with CAA-CBG Global Brand Management Group, allowing the company to represent the Peanuts brand around Asia.

Meanwhile, a 20 percent stake in Peanuts still belongs to Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, named for the series’ original creator. The other companies are evidently just licensing Peanuts from these three entities.

A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.