Hey, remember last year when the Academy Awards ceremony didn’t have a host because Kevin Hart couldn’t bring himself to apologize for his old tweets? Welp, it must’ve worked out, because this year the Oscars are once again hitting the air without a master of ceremonies.
But that doesn’t mean the 92nd Academy Awards are not worth watching. In fact, they might be a little more brisk without a joker trying to get laughs. (There will be a Joker trying to get Oscars, though.) And in between the awkward silences that a host would normally fill, there’s bound to be some surprises—Netflix could finally have a Best Picture winner!—and maybe even some letdowns (if Parasite doesn’t win big, I swear to God …). There might even be another big Moonlight-style shocker. (Though, let’s hope not.)
Regardless of what happens, you won’t know what everyone is tweeting about—or whether 1917 will get the little gold men we think it might—if you’re not watching. Here’s how you can do just that.
How to Watch
The Oscars ceremony begins at 8 pm Eastern (5 pm Pacific) on ABC. If you have a cable subscription or digital antenna, you’re good to go. Tune in and turn on. You can also stream the event on ABC.com or via the ABC app on various Roku/Apple TV/Android-type devices if you sign in with your TV provider. However, that stream, for some reason, will be available only in Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, and San Francisco.
There’s a similar, though much longer, list of markets that can watch the ABC livestream if they have a DirecTV subscription. That list of cities is here. The same goes for YouTube and Hulu subscribers here, and the list of Comcast Xfinity and AT&T TV Now subscribers here.
If you’re trying to avoid all that mess, there are over-the-top options. Locast lets folks stream their local broadcast networks, including ABC, for free, so that might work, depending on where you live. Also, if you have Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV, you’re covered with either of those. Are you a Sling TV, Fubo, or Philo user? Sorry, those won’t help you here.
The Red Carpet
Can’t wait until the show starts to get your Hollywood fix? Red carpet coverage—hosted by Pose star Billy Porter, talk show host Tamron Hall, supermodel Lily Aldridge, and film critic Elvis Mitchell—begins at 6:30 pm Eastern (3:30 pm Pacific) on ABC. Meanwhile, Oscars All Access: Red Carpet Live will be available to stream for free from the Academy’s official Twitter account. E!’s pre-pre-show action begins at 1 pm Eastern (10 am Pacific) with host Ryan Seacrest taking over at 7:30 pm Eastern (4:30 pm Pacific) to count down the final moments until the ceremony begins.
How to Watch Everything Else
Naturally, the action happening in and around the Dolby Theater is only half of the fun of Oscar night. Your best bet to catch everything else is with well-stocked Twitter and Instagram feeds. We can’t tell you who to follow (to each their own, as they say), but we highly recommend having a fully-charged laptop or phone handy at all times so that you don’t miss a single bad take or hot take when The Irishman pulls off its inevitable upset. (Hey, it could happen!) See you on the internet, y’all!
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