Summary
The 98th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, with the main ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. In the United States, the show airs live on ABC and streams live on Hulu. In Canada, the Oscars air live on CTV and stream on Crave.
For movie fans who enjoy popular film franchises across the U.S. and Canada, this year’s ceremony arrives with real intrigue instead of a simple victory lap for one film. The Academy is awarding 24 categories this year, and the 98th edition also marks the debut of Achievement in Casting as a competitive Oscar category, giving the ceremony an added sense of change even as it leans on the familiar glamour of Oscar night. Conan O’Brien is back as host for a second straight year, a sign that the Academy is sticking with a tone that aims to be sharp, accessible and broadly audience-friendly.
What time does Oscars 2026 start?
The utility question most viewers are asking is simple: when should I tune in? The easiest answer is to block off 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT for the main show. But coverage starts earlier. ABC News’ broader Oscars coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT / 12:30 p.m. PDT with “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars” across ABC stations and ABC News Live, and the official “The Oscars Red Carpet Show” follows at 6:30 p.m. EDT / 3:30 p.m. PDT on ABC and Hulu, hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer. In Canada, CTV’s guide also places the red carpet show at 6:30 ET / 3:30 PT, followed by the ceremony at 7 ET / 4 PT.
That makes the Oscars one of the cleanest live-event watches of the weekend for North American audiences. Viewers who want only the awards can jump in at showtime, while those who treat the Oscars like a full-night event can start earlier for arrivals, fashion and pre-show interviews. The ceremony is also airing in more than 200 territories worldwide, underlining how much of the entertainment conversation still funnels through this one stage.
Where to watch the Oscars in the U.S. and Canada
In the U.S., the main destinations are straightforward: ABC for traditional TV viewers and Hulu for streaming. That matters because the Oscars are no longer just an appointment-TV event for cable households; they are also being positioned as a major streaming-night title for audiences who want the live show without a traditional bundle.
In Canada, the path is just as clear: CTV carries the broadcast, while Crave handles streaming. For readers building their Sunday night around the ceremony, that is the simplest viewing map: CTV or Crave in Canada, ABC or Hulu in the United States.
What to expect from Oscars 2026
The biggest headline going into the night is the strength of Sinners. The film leads the field with 16 nominations, setting a new Oscars record, and it enters the ceremony as the most talked-about title in the best picture race.
The Best Picture lineup reflects that wider range of contenders. This year’s nominees are Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle after Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. That field mixes major studio releases, auteur-driven prestige projects and a more international flavor than the category sometimes gets credit for.
The acting races add even more pull. In Best Actor, the nominees include Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle after Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent. In Best Actress, the field includes Jessie Buckley for Hamnet, Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone for Bugonia.
The show itself is being built to feel bigger than a simple trophy handoff. The Academy has announced a performance lineup that includes a major Sinners moment, with Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq performing the Oscar-nominated “I Lied To You,” joined by a larger onstage tribute tied to the film’s musical identity. The ceremony will also feature Josh Groban and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, adding to the sense that this year’s broadcast wants to feel cinematic, not just ceremonial.
The presenter roster is also stacked with recognizable names that can keep casual viewers engaged even between the biggest categories. Among the announced presenters are Nicole Kidman, Pedro Pascal, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Demi Moore, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zoe Saldaña, Chris Evans, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maya Rudolph, Javier Bardem, Ewan McGregor, Sigourney Weaver and more, while Matt Berry is set to serve as the show’s announcer.
That is why Oscars 2026 feels built for search, social buzz and second-screen conversation in both the U.S. and Canada. It has the core ingredients people look for on Oscar night: a host with a defined voice, a best picture frontrunner with record-making momentum, a broad field of recognizable contenders, a packed presenter lineup and a simple, easy-to-find broadcast path. For anyone asking whether this year’s show is worth tuning into live, the answer is yes: the utility is clear, and the awards race still has enough drama to make the final envelopes matter.
