Technologies

Manchester United vs. West Ham Livestream: How to Watch FA Cup Soccer From Anywhere

Erik ten Hag’s men look to build on their Carabao Cup triumph as they host the Hammers in this fifth-round clash at Old Trafford.

Having tasted glory at Wembley with their Carabao Cup win over Newcastle on Sunday, Manchester United will be hoping to move a step closer to another showpiece final as they take on West Ham in this FA Cup fifth-round match-up.

That 2-0 win over the Magpies at the weekend ended a six-year trophy drought on the red side of Manchester, and Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he won’t be satisfied with that being the only silverware United claim this season. His much improved side are still in contention for another three trophies this term.

United boast arguably the most in-form striker in the Premier League in the form of Marcus Rashford, and come into this match on a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions.

Currently embroiled in a surprise relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League, the Hammers appear to be hitting some form at last and will have been boosted by their crucial 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

That victory came at a cost, however, with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabiański and defender Vladimír Coufal both picking up injuries that rule them out of this cup clash at Old Trafford. Kurt Zouma is set to make a return after a thigh problem for West Ham, while Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca could start for the first time since January in place of the ineligible Danny Ings.

With Man United set to face rivals Liverpool in a crucial Premier League clash on Sunday, ten Hag has a selection dilemma as to whether to rotate his in-form side for this cup game, with Anthony Martial, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Phil Jones all unavailable through injury.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.

West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen celebrates after scoring a goal. — Jarrod Bowen is expected to start in a West Ham forward line that will be without cup-tied striker Danny Ings.

Visionhaus/Getty Images

Manchester United vs. West Ham: When and where?

Man United host West Ham at Old Trafford on Wednesday, March 1. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. local time in the UK (2:45 p.m. ET, 11:45 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 6:45 a.m. AEDT on March 2 in Australia).

How to watch the Manchester United vs. West Ham game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at ExpressVPN

Livestream the Manchester United vs. West Ham game in the US

This cup match at Old Trafford is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET (11:45 a.m. PT) on Wednesday for viewers in the States.

ESPN Plus

Watch the FA Cup in the US from $10 per month

ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch all of this season’s FA Cup fixtures, including this intriguing match-up at Old Trafford. Read our ESPN Plus review.

See at ESPN

Livestream the Man United vs. West Ham game for free in the UK

The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters BBC and ITV are sharing live broadcast duties for this season’s FA Cup.

This fixture is being shown exclusively on ITV1, with coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. GMT ahead of the 7:45 p.m. kickoff.

ITV

Watch the FA Cup in the UK for free

With the match being broadcast on ITV1, that also means you’ll also be able to watch the game online for free via the network’s on-demand streaming service, ITVX (formerly ITV Hub).

The service has an updated new app that’s available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs.

See at ITV

Livestream Man United vs. West Ham game in Canada

Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this big FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.

Sportsnet

Watch the FA Cup in Canada for CA$15 a month

Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network’s standalone streaming service SN Now instead, with prices starting at CA$15 per month or CA$150 per year.

See at SN Now

Livestream Manchester United vs. West Ham game in Australia

ViacomCBS now holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can now watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You’ll just have to set an alarm for early Thursday morning: kickoff is at 6:45 a.m. AEDT.

Paramount Plus

Watch the FA Cup in Australia for AU$9 a month

An Australian Paramount Plus subscription currently costs AU$9 a month, which gives you access to Paramount’s coverage of this year’s tournament, as well as Hollywood movies such as Top Gun: Maverick and original shows like Picard and Tulsa King.

See at Paramount Plus

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

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Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.