The 2026 Oscars start tonight at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony airs live on ABC and streams simultaneously on Hulu at no extra cost to subscribers.
It takes place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and is hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second consecutive year.
Full Schedule For Tonight
The pre-show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT on ABC, hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer.
The main ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
The show typically runs three to four hours, putting the expected end time at approximately 10 to 11 p.m. ET.
What Channel Are The Oscars On
The Oscars air on ABC.
If you have cable or a TV antenna, you can watch on your local ABC affiliate. ABC is a broadcast network, it is free over the air with an antenna, no cable subscription required.
How To Watch Without Cable
Hulu streams the ceremony live at the same time as the ABC broadcast, at no extra cost to any Hulu subscriber.
This is the easiest option for cord-cutters. Beyond Hulu, the ceremony is also available through ABC.com, the ABC app, YouTube TV, FuboTV, and DirecTV Stream. All of these options carry the live broadcast.
Where Is The Ceremony
The 98th Academy Awards take place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, the same venue that has hosted the Oscars since 2002.
Who Is Hosting
Conan O’Brien hosts for the second consecutive year.
O’Brien took over as host in 2025 and his return was announced well in advance of this year’s ceremony.
What To Watch For Tonight
This is one of the most competitive Oscar races in years. The two films heading into tonight as frontrunners are Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which holds the all-time record for nominations at 16, more than Titanic and La La Land, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which has 13 nominations and swept the major precursor awards including the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Directors Guild, Producers Guild, and Writers Guild Awards.
The Best Picture race is a genuine coin flip. Sinners won the Actor Awards ensemble prize, the single strongest predictor of Best Picture.
One Battle After Another won every other major precursor. One historical record will fall tonight regardless of the outcome.
In Best Actor, Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) has overtaken Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) as the narrow favorite after winning the Actor Award. In Best Actress, Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) is the consensus pick and has been all season.
Best Supporting Actor is a toss-up between Sean Penn and Delroy Lindo, both from One Battle After Another and Sinners respectively.
Best Supporting Actress is similarly unpredictable between Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Amy Madigan (Weapons), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).
One of the most anticipated moments of the night is the performance of music from Sinners, a tribute to Black artistry featuring ballerina Misty Copeland, rocker Brittany Howard, and blues musicians including Eric Gales and Bobby Rush.
Tonight also marks the first time in Oscar history that Best Casting is awarded as a competitive category. The inaugural Oscar in that field is expected to go to Sinners.
Quick Reference Guide
- Pre-show: 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT on ABC
- Main show: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
- Channel: ABC (broadcast) and Hulu (streaming)
- Also on: ABC.com, ABC app, YouTube TV, FuboTV, DirecTV Stream
- Host: Conan O’Brien
- Venue: Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles
- Pre-show hosts: Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer
- Expected end time: 10–11 p.m. ET
