It's the biggest night in Hollywood that everyone will be buzzing about for the next few days. From the stars that take our breath away with their jaw-dropping gowns to the fashion fails and memorable acceptance speeches, there's no way we're going to miss all the action when the 88th Academy Awards airs tonight. Come on, how can we not wait on the edge of our seats to see if Leonardo DiCaprio will finally win the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in The Revenant?
But the last thing we want to do is waste time — and miss the red carpet — when we're forced to browse through all the channels to find out where we need to tune in. What's even worse is struggling to find out where we can watch online or where to stream from our smartphones or tablets when we aren't yet home.
Don't worry, we did all the legwork for you so that you won't miss out on that hilarious joke Chris Rock just said. All that's left to do is get the popcorn and the champagne ready. Here's how to watch the Oscars whether you choose to tune in on your TV, or opt to stream online or on your iPhone or Android devices.
1. Live TV
If you plan on getting a front row seat to the Academy Awards from the comfort of your couch, make sure to tune in to ABC for the start of the ceremony at 8:30 p.m. EST/ 5:30 p.m. PST. For those who want to also check out the red carpet, make sure you switch the channel to ABC a bit earlier, at 7 p.m. EST, 4 p.m. PST, to be exact, to get a look at all the fashion choices. However, if you wanted to get even more from the red carpet, turn the channel first to E! to start watching at 5:30 p.m. EST/ 2:30 p.m. PST.
2. Stream Online
If you won't be in front of the big screen, or just prefer to watch on your laptop, you can stream the Oscars online on ABC.com. However, in order to watch viewers will have to have a participating TV provider account. The live stream is available in Chicago, Fresno, Calif., Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and San Francisco. Just like watching on TV, viewers can start watching the red carpet coverage on ABC.com at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST, followed by the awards ceremony at 8:30 p.m. EST/ 5:30 p.m. PST. E! will also feature a live stream from the red carpet as well.
3. Download This App
Viewers can also stream the Oscars on their iPhone or Android devices by downloading the WATCH ABC app. Available in the App Store and Google Play Store for free, users will be able to watch directly from their mobile devices. The app is also available from the Amazon Appstore so that users with Fire tablets can watch if they are traveling. The app also supports Apple TV and Chromecast so that users can watch on their TV.
Once you download the app it will automatically detect the user's location to make sure the livestream is available, so you might want to have the app ready to go beforehand. If available, you just have to sign in to your participating TV provider account and the live stream will be ready to go.
4. Peek Backstage
Say no to commercial breaks and instead check out lots of backstage content via the official Oscar website. Viewers in the U.S. will get exclusive access to the cameras that capture the red carpet and backstage action live using this second-screen experience.
5. Streaming Outside The U.S.
If you're traveling, on vacation, or just a movie fan outside of the U.S., you will still be able to watch the prestigious awards. Those in Canada will be able to watch on the national network CTV, as well as on its CTV Go service and website CTV.ca. An Oscars red carpet special will start at 6:30 p.m. EST/ 3:30 p.m. PST, followed by the red carpet (using the ABC TV feed) at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST, and the ceremony at 8:30 p.m. EST/ 5:30 p.m. PST.
Those in Mexico can tune in on TNT Latin American or online via its TNT Go service starting at 5:30 p.m. CST for the red carpet, and those in the U.K. can watch on the Sky Movies Oscars channel (which is temporarily taking over the Sky Movies Greats channel), with the ceremony starting at 1:30 a.m. local time.
Photo: Robert Couse-Baker | Flickr
