The 2026 Oscars are tonight, with Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremony set to close a long and closely watched awards season. The 98th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, honoring films released in 2025. Conan O’Brien returns as host, and the ceremony will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu, giving viewers multiple ways to watch one of the entertainment industry’s most influential nights.
The Academy Awards remain the film industry’s most visible prize, shaping careers, boosting box office and streaming performance, and influencing how studios position prestige releases. This year’s ceremony is the 98th edition of the Oscars and once again takes place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, the event’s longtime home. The show honors movies released during the 2025 film year, capping months of campaigning, guild awards, critics’ prizes, and industry speculation.
For viewers in the United States, the telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC, with the official live red carpet show starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. The Academy and ABC have also confirmed that the ceremony streams live on Hulu, while authenticated viewers can also watch through ABC’s digital platforms. The Oscars are airing in more than 200 territories worldwide, underscoring the event’s global reach even as viewing habits continue to shift toward streaming.
That accessibility matters. Live entertainment remains one of the few television formats that can still command a mass audience in real time, and the Oscars continue to function as both a cultural event and a business platform. A win can extend a film’s theatrical life, strengthen its awards-season marketing, and raise the profile of talent across acting, directing, writing, craft, and technical categories. This is one reason the ceremony still matters deeply to studios, streamers, filmmakers, and advertisers alike. This last point is an inference based on the Oscars’ role in film marketing and distribution strategy, rather than a direct statement from the Academy.
The basics are straightforward:
For cord-cutters, Hulu’s live stream is one of the biggest practical changes in how audiences can access the show. The Academy’s official “How to Watch” page also notes that viewers can watch for free over the air on their local ABC station, which remains important for households that still rely on antenna access rather than cable or paid streaming bundles.
The red carpet remains a major part of the event’s appeal. It serves not only as a fashion showcase but also as a promotional platform for nominees, presenters, and studios. The Academy has also highlighted its digital and social coverage across Oscar.com, Oscars.org, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, reflecting how the event now unfolds across television, streaming, and social media at the same time.
Conan O’Brien is hosting tonight’s ceremony, giving the Academy a veteran live television performer with deep experience in comedy, interviews, and event pacing. His selection signals a continued effort to balance prestige with accessibility, especially as awards shows compete for attention in a fragmented media environment. ABC’s Oscars coverage and Academy press materials identify O’Brien as the host for the 98th Academy Awards.
The presenter lineup includes a mix of established stars and recent Oscar winners. The Academy’s press office has announced presenters including Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, and Maya Rudolph. Previously announced presenters include Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison, and Zoe Saldaña.
That mix is significant because presenters often help define the tone of the telecast. Comedy, nostalgia, star power, and recent awards momentum all shape how the ceremony is received by audiences at home. According to the Academy’s press office, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan are overseeing this year’s show, continuing the Academy’s effort to build a polished live event around both film celebration and mainstream entertainment value.
The Academy announced the 98th Oscars nominations in all 24 categories in January 2026. Official nominee lists are available through the Academy and ABC’s Oscars coverage, and the ceremony honors films released in 2025.
Among the acting nominees listed on the Academy’s official 2026 Oscars page are 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 Actor in a Leading Role. In Actress in a Leading Role, the nominees include 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 supporting categories also feature major names. Supporting actor nominees include Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo, Sean Penn, and Stellan Skarsgård, while supporting actress nominees include Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Teyana Taylor. The official Oscars page also lists contenders in animated feature, shorts, and below-the-line categories, reflecting the breadth of the Academy’s voting body and the increasingly international nature of the awards field.
Because the Academy’s official ceremony page is organized by category and nominee rather than by a single narrative summary, the biggest races are likely to be interpreted through industry context as much as through the list itself. In practical terms, the acting, directing, screenplay, and Best Picture races will drive most of the public attention, while craft categories often have major commercial value for studios and filmmakers. That is an inference drawn from longstanding Oscars viewing patterns and category prominence, not a direct Academy statement.
The Oscars are more than a trophy ceremony. They are a market signal for the film business. A nomination alone can raise awareness for smaller titles, while a win can reshape a film’s commercial afterlife across theatrical re-releases, premium video-on-demand, and streaming discovery. This is especially true for independent films, international titles, and prestige dramas that rely on awards attention to reach broader audiences. This analysis is an inference based on how awards recognition is used in film distribution and promotion.
The ceremony also matters institutionally for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organization uses the Oscars as the centerpiece of a broader mission to recognize cinematic achievement and maintain the relevance of film culture in a crowded entertainment landscape. According to the Academy’s press materials, that mission extends beyond the telecast itself to year-round recognition programs including the Governors Awards and Scientific and Technical Awards.
For audiences, the significance is different. The Oscars remain one of the few annual events that bring together mainstream stars, auteur filmmakers, global nominees, and technical artists on the same stage. Even in an era of declining linear TV audiences, that concentration of attention still gives the Academy Awards unusual cultural weight.
Several themes are likely to shape the conversation as the show unfolds.
With ABC carrying the telecast and Hulu streaming it live, the 2026 Oscars reflect the industry’s hybrid distribution model. That matters because major live events increasingly need to serve both traditional television viewers and digital-first audiences at the same time.
The Academy’s official nominee lists show a wide range of films, performers, and craftspeople from different production backgrounds. That continues a broader trend toward a more international Oscars field, especially in categories beyond the acting races.
Conan O’Brien’s presence suggests the Academy wants a host who can keep the show moving while also delivering a lighter tone. Awards telecasts often succeed or fail on pacing, and the host’s ability to manage transitions is central to that. This is an inference based on the structure of live awards shows and O’Brien’s background.
The official red carpet show begins 30 minutes before the ceremony, but social and digital coverage starts shaping the narrative much earlier. Fashion, first interviews, and arrival moments often become part of the night’s biggest headlines.
The 2026 Oscars are tonight, and the essentials are clear: the 98th Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Conan O’Brien, airing live on ABC and streaming on Hulu. The ceremony honors films released in 2025 and brings together nominees, presenters, studios, and audiences for one of the entertainment industry’s most closely watched nights. Whether viewers tune in for the winners, the speeches, the red carpet, or the broader state of the movie business, the Oscars remain a rare event that still combines cultural prestige with mass visibility.
When are the 2026 Oscars?
The 98th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
What time do the Oscars start tonight?
The main ceremony starts at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and the official live red carpet show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
Where can I watch the 2026 Oscars in the U.S.?
You can watch live on ABC, stream live on Hulu, or use ABC’s authenticated digital platforms. Local ABC stations are also available over the air in many markets.
Who is hosting the 2026 Oscars?
Conan O’Brien is hosting the 98th Academy Awards.
Where are the Oscars being held?
The ceremony is being held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
What films are the 2026 Oscars honoring?
The 2026 ceremony honors films released in 2025.
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