Oscars 2021 Live Stream: How to Watch the 93rd Academy Awards Online
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Awards season can often feel like a marathon rather than a sprint, but the finish line is in sight and there is no grander finale than the Oscars.
The 93rd Academy Awards air this Sunday from Los Angeles, and this year’s event features some bold-face nominees, from Carey Mulligan (nominated for Promising Young Women) to Sacha Baron Cohen (Trial of the Chicago 7) and Frances McDormand (Nomadland).
Related: Watch the 2021 Oscar-Nominated Films Online here
Musical nominees include Diane Warren, up for Best Original Song for “Lo Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead. Other nominees in the category include H.E.R.’s “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite’s “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson’s “Husavik” from the Will Ferrell comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are nominated once again for Best Original Score, meantime, both for their work on Mank as well as their work with Jon Batiste on Soul.
Want to watch the Oscars online this Sunday? Here’s what you need to know.
When Are the 2021 Oscars? Air Date, Channel, Time
Originally scheduled for February 28, the 2021 Oscars date was pushed back to April due to Covid precautions. The 93rd Academy Awards will now air this weekend, Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST live on ABC. If you have cable, you can tune into ABC through your cable provider. For everyone else, here’s how to watch or stream the show.
How to Watch the Oscars on TV
If you want to watch the Oscars on TV, you’ll either need a traditional cable package (like these plans from AT&T) or you can pick up a digital TV antenna, which gets you all the local channels in your area without having to pay for cable.
Courtesy Amazon
This $30 indoor antenna from Amazon will pick up your local ABC affiliate (and most other major networks) for free. Pay for it once and basically get free cable for life.
This super slim model has a 4.1-star review (out of five) online and delivers 1080p HD reception with up to 120 miles of range. It sits discreetly behind your TV setup and its plug-and-play capability means you’ll be set up in minutes.
Amazon Prime members can order the antenna now and get it delivered in time for Sunday. Not a Prime member? Get a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.
How to Stream the Oscars Online Free
If you want to watch the Oscars online for free, there are a couple ways to live stream the show from home without cable.
1. Stream the Oscars on Hulu + Live TV
You already know about the original series and on-demand programming from Hulu, but the streaming service’s Hulu + Live TV plan will also get you access to ABC (and more than 60 other television channels) so you can watch the Oscars, live sports and more.
Hulu is currently offering a 7-day free trial for the Academy Awards. Test it out and get instant access to ABC to watch the Oscars without cable. Hulu lets you watch the show from your TV, tablet, laptop or other connected device. Get more details here.
Watch the Oscars on Hulu here
2. Stream the Oscars on fuboTV
One of the best streaming services for live TV is fuboTV. A subscription to fubo gets you more than 200 TV channels, including ABC, where you can stream the Oscars live. Fubo also gets you access to E! to watch the Oscars red carpet online, in addition to post-show coverage.
Like Hulu, fuboTV currently has a 7-day trial that you can use to stream the Oscars free online. Get more details here.
Watch the Oscars on fuboTV here
3. Stream the Oscars on The Roku Channel
If you have a Roku TV or a Roku device, you can watch the Oscars for free on ABC News Live via The Roku Channel. The coverage starts at 4:30 p.m. EST for red carpet coverage with the award ceremony airing at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Order this Roku Streaming Stick now for under $50 on Amazon and have it in time for Sunday’s big show.
4. Watch the Oscars With Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV isn’t a streaming service per se, but cord cutters can cast Hulu, YouTube TV or fuboTV to their television sets using a Fire TV stick. You can also use Amazon Fire TV to watch the Oscars live on ABC’s website or by logging into the ABC app on your TV.
2021 Oscars: Host, Nominees, Presenters, What to Expect
The 2021 Oscars will look a little different compared to year’s past. This year’s show will once again go host-less, for the third year in a row. Instead, look for a group of presenters to introduce each segment and award.
This year’s Oscar presenters are expected to include Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger and Zendaya.
The 2021 Oscars telecast will also have a new location. The Dolby Theatre, which has long been the home of the Academy Awards, will host part of the show, though the main location has been moved to Union Station, in downtown Los Angeles.
Similar to other award shows this year, there won’t be a traditional audience at the Dolby or at Union Station. Covid protocols are keeping the guestlist tight, with only the Oscar nominees and select press in attendance. Most the nominees are expected to appear in person, rather than accepting their awards over Zoom as we saw in other award shows this year.
Piper-Heidsieck returns as the official champagne partner of the 93rd Academy Awards, marking the seventh year of a long-term partnership between Piper-Heidsieck and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The champagne house has released a limited-edition bottle of their signature Cuvée Brut, that lights up at the press of a button. The special magnum bottle is reserved for Oscar attendees (and nominees celebrating at home), though you can order a bottle of the same signature Cuvée Brut online at Drizly.
Piper-Heidsieck
Piper-Heidsieck has a long history with the movies: a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck famously appeared in Sons of the Desert, the debut film of Laurel and Hardy, in 1933.
