After a long and winding movie awards season, the time has finally come to see which actors, producers, directors and crew will be carrying home a little gold man from the 98th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Read on to find out how to watch Oscars 2026 streams from anywhere with a VPN and absolutely FREE.
Oscars 2026 date, time, TV channels, free stream
2026 Oscars streams take place on Sunday, March 15.
► Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. AEDT (Mon.)
• STREAM FREE — ITVX (U.K.) / 7plus (AUS)
• U.S. — ABC / Hulu
• CAN — CTV
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk-free
With Conan O’Brien back to host for the second straight year, the ceremony sees some of 2025’s most successful and popular films nominated for gongs. The Leonardo DiCaprio led “One Battle After Another” is favorite to win the war for Best Picture, with the likes of “Frankenstein”, “F1”, “Marty Supreme”, “Zootopia 2” and Netflix behemoth “KPop Demon Hunters” all up for awards.
This year’s annual Academy Awards is already a record breaker, with the 16 nominations bagged by “Sinners” surpassing the 14 each of “All About Eve”, “Titanic” and “La La Land”. And it welcomes a brand new award category for the first time in 24 years, with the initial Best Casting Oscar to be handed out.
For all the glitz and glamor of Red Carpet and to see who will be crowned the kings and queens of Hollywood, keep reading to discover where to watch Oscars 2026 streams no matter where in the world you are — and potentially for free!
How to watch Oscars 2026 online for free
Outside North America, there are ways to watch the 2026 Oscars for free.
Broadcasters in the U.K., Australia and Ireland all televise the ceremony on free-to-air channels and streaming platforms:
U.K.: ITV1 / ITVX
Australia: Channel 7 / 7plus
Ireland: RTÉ One / RTÉ Player
Traveling abroad? Don’t worry — you can watch it with a VPN instead. Details below.
Watch Oscars 2026 from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the 98th Academy Awards on your usual subscription?
You can still watch the 2026 ceremony live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software can make your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN — we explain why in our NordVPN review.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple, just follow these steps:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you’re away from the U.K. and want to view your usual service, you’d select United Kingdom from the server list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to a service that’s showing the 2026 Oscars such as ITVX and watch just like you would at home.
Watch Oscars 2026 online and on TV in the U.S.
Although YouTube will be home to the Academy Awards from 2029, this year’s Oscars will be broadcast once again on ABC from 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15.
There are several ways you can access ABC, the most obvious being through one of the best TV antennas or through your cable plan. Sling TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV all offer the channel.
Hulu will also stream this year’s Academy Awards. Plans start from $11.99/month, and new users can get their first 30 days absolutely free.
How to watch Oscars 2026 in Canada
CTV has the rights to show the 2026 Oscars on TV in Canada.
That means cable subscribers will be able to watch the ceremony live at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 15 on TV, at CTV.ca, on the CTV mobile app or through the Crave streaming service.
Not in Canada at the moment? Signing up to NordVPN will help you access your streaming service while overseas.
How to watch Oscars 2026 in the U.K for free
The 98th Academy Awards — hosted again by Conan O’Brien — goes out on ITV1, with coverage starting from 10:15 p.m. on Sunday evening ahead of the start of the ceremony at 11 p.m.
That means it will also be available to stream for FREE online on ITVX. All you need to watch is a U.K. TV licence.
But what if you are a Brit abroad and you don’t want to miss the Oscars? Don’t worry — you can watch it via VPN instead.
How to watch Oscars 2026 in Australia for free
Aussies get to watch the Oscars live and for free on Channel 7. The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. AEDT (immediately preceded by Red Carpet coverage) on Monday, March 16 and is repeated at 9 p.m. in the evening.
If you want to watch online, you’ll be able to do so on the free-to-use 7plus, both live and on demand.
Away from Australia? You’ll need to download NordVPN or another high quality alternative to stream the 98th Academy Awards as though you were back at home.
Oscars 2026 nominations
Watch On
Best Picture
“Bugonia”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”
Best Directing
Chloé Zhao – “Hamnet”
Josh Safdie – “Marty Supreme”
Paul Thomas Anderson – “One Battle After Another”
Joachim Trier – “Sentimental Value”
Ryan Coogler – “Sinners”
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet – “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke – “Blue Moon”
Michael B. Jordan – “Sinners”
Wagner Moura – “The Secret Agent”
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Jessie Buckley – “Hamnet”
Rose Byrne – “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson – “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve – “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone – “Bugonia”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Benicio del Toro – “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi – “Frankenstein”
Delroy Lindo – “Sinners”
Sean Penn – “One Battle After Another”
Stellan Skarsgård – “Sentimental Value”
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Elle Fanning – “Sentimental Value”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – “Sentimental Value”
Amy Madigan – “Weapons”
Wunmi Mosaku – “Sinners”
Teyana Taylor – “One Battle After Another”
Best Animated Feature Film
“Arco”
“Elio”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”
Best Documentary Feature Film
“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting Through Rocks”
“Mr Nobody Against Putin”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
For a full list, head to the official website of the 98th Academy Awards
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