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How to watch the 2021 Oscars online

For movie lovers, there’s no bigger event than the Academy Awards. Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors the best films, filmmakers, and performances of the prior year in 24 categories, ranging from the best visual effects to the year’s best overall movie, with the iconic golden trophies known as Oscars.

This year’s event will be the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, and it happens several months later than usual due to the Academy’s decision to extend the deadline for entries and push back the ceremony due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The April 25 ceremony will once again feature a live (but somewhat limited) in-person audience of presenters and nominees to introduce each category and accept the Oscars.

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Whether you’re planning to watch the ceremony on broadcast TV or stream it online, there are plenty of options to view the events as they happen. Here are all the best ways to watch Hollywood’s biggest night, as well as everything else you need to know about the Academy Awards ceremony.

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When is the Oscars ceremony?

The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 25. It will be preceded by a red carpet arrival event that will begin at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch ABC’s Oscars broadcast

If you choose to watch the Academy Awards ceremony live on broadcast TV, the event will air on ABC. It will also be available to stream on ABC’s website or via the ABC app using your TV provider account information.

How to stream the Oscars

If you can’t watch the ceremony live on ABC or don’t have a TV provider, you can stream it online using several methods.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be available to stream via Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV with a subscription (although both services offer free trial periods that cover a single night’s viewing if you decide you’re not interested in subscribing after the ceremony). Other streaming options are also available, such as AT&T TV Now and FuboTV.

What to expect

Although it won’t be a virtual ceremony this year, the Academy Awards will feature a more limited list of attendees due to the pandemic. It will be the second year in a row without an official host, but the presenters for each category will do so in person.

Don’t expect to see any prerecorded acceptance speeches or video chats with winners, though, as the Academy indicated that virtual acceptance speeches will not be an option for winners this year.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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