How To Stream The 2026 Oscars: A Cord-Cutter's Guide To Hollywood's Big Night

The 98th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are set to air on Sunday, March 15. As is customary, the ceremony will be broadcast on ABC at no additional charge for cable subscribers. However, as cord-cutting has become a popular choice, not everyone has access to regular channels anymore. Luckily, you can still watch the Oscars on services like Hulu and YouTube TV.

Thanks to a partnership between the Academy and several streaming services and television providers, the Oscars will be available to view on both traditional cable and on PCs, smartphones, and smart TVs via streaming. As the Academy points out on its website, while these digital services do require a subscription, many of them have free trials available, so you can sign up temporarily if you just want to watch the Oscars and avoid paying for any long-term commitments.

For those without TV-provided cable and/or internet packages, the primary place to watch this year's Oscars will be on Hulu. Anyone who is subscribed to Hulu will be able to watch the Oscars live on Sunday, March 15, on all supported devices, even without the Hulu + Live TV plan. 

• Hulu (With Ads) bundle: $12.99 per month
• Hulu (No Ads) bundle: $19.99 per month
• Hulu + Live TV bundle+: $89.99 per month
• Hulu Premium + Live TV bundle: $99.99 per month

The other major streaming options are Fubo TV and YouTube TV, which will also allow you to watch the Oscars live on supported devices on ABC.

• fuboTV: Starts at $73.99 per month
• YouTube TV: $82.99 per month

Remember, YouTube TV is a separate service from YouTube Premium; if you only have the latter, you won't be able to watch the show live.

If you have an active cable package or certain internet packages but can't watch the Oscars on your TV at home, you can still watch the show live via your provider's digital streaming service, if they have one. Providers like AT&T, Spectrum, Xfinity, and others all offer streaming apps specifically for their cable customers to use. If you have a cable provider, you may even be able to stream the show live on ABC's own website, so long as the provider in question is supported.

The 2026 Oscars will start at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Sunday, March 15. Pre-show coverage begins sooner, however. ABC kicked off its own pre-show coverage on March 11 with the red carpet rollout, which will be followed by a preview show at Dolby Theatre on Friday, March 13. Ahead of the big Sunday ceremony, ABC will broadcast its "On the Red Carpet at the Oscars" presentation starting at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). "Good Morning America" will have its own pre-show coverage starting on Thursday, March 12.

The "GMA Oscars Monday After Party" will go live on Monday, March 16, to give viewers backstage interviews. That will be followed by "Live's After the Oscars Show" with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.