How to Watch ‘Controlling Britney Spears’ Documentary Online

A still from 'Framing Britney Spears'

FX A still from 'Framing Britney Spears'

From the people who brought us “Framing Britney Spears” back in February 2021 comes a new documentary titled “Controlling Britney Spears.” It premieres Friday, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.

If you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” streaming online:

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FuboTV

You can watch a live stream of FX and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:

FuboTV Free Trial

Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.

If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most shows on-demand within three days (and sometimes longer) of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.


Sling TV

You can watch a live stream of FX and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s Sling Blue bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with FX, and you can get your first month for just $10:

Get Sling TV

Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.

If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.


Vidgo

You can watch a live stream of FX and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but you can get your first month for just $10:

Vidgo Free Trial

Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.


DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” FX is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.

Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:

DirecTV Stream Free Trial

Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.

If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).


Hulu With Live TV

You can watch a live stream of FX and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:

Hulu With Live TV Free Trial

Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch “Controlling Britney Spears” live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.

If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which will include new episodes the day after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).


‘Controlling Britney Spears’ Preview

In February 2021, FX and the New York Times made headlines with their award-winning documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” which took viewers inside Spears’ conservatorship by speaking with lawyers and those close to her about battle her father in court over who should control her life.

Now the follow-up film, “Controlling Britney Spears,” is debuting on FX and Hulu, which the FX press release says will “contain new bombshell allegations from whistleblowers who were among those in the inner circle.”

It continues:

Earlier this year, FX and Hulu’s documentary feature film “Framing Britney Spears,” part of The New York Times Presents series, catalyzed international attention on the singer’s conservatorship battle. Now comes “Controlling Britney Spears,” an explosive follow-up documentary by the same team, featuring new allegations from insiders with intimate knowledge of Britney’s daily life inside the conservatorship.

In a confidential report obtained by The Times, Ms. Spears told a court investigator in 2016 that her conservatorship had become “an oppressive and controlling tool against her.” But how the conservatorship has controlled her life has never been revealed. Now, in this New York Times investigation, a portrait emerges of an intense surveillance apparatus that monitored every move she made.

The film is directed by Samantha Stark, and Liz Day is supervising producer and reporter. It was produced in partnership by The New York Times and Left/Right, the same team behind “Framing Britney Spears.”

The next court hearing in Ms. Spears’s conservatorship case is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 29. The judge is expected to hear Ms. Spears’s request to remove her father from the conservatorship as well as her father’s petition to terminate the conservatorship.

Once the insiders came forward, The Times and Left/Right felt compelled to bring this reporting to the public as soon as possible.

“When Britney spoke publicly about her conservatorship in detail for the first time during a court hearing in June, she said a reason she hadn’t spoken up earlier is she didn’t think people would believe her,” Stark said in a statement. “She said she felt abused under the conservatorship and questioned whether the judge thought she was lying. Britney’s speech motivated the people in this film to seek us out to share their stories — at great risk to themselves — because they felt compelled to back up what Britney was saying with evidence they had or moments they witnessed.”

Day added, “Britney’s situation raises a lot of important questions about the conservatorship system at large and whether it is working properly. We felt that it was in the public interest to examine that.”

“Controlling Britney Spears” premieres Friday, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on FX.