After a two-month pandemic delay, the 2021 Academy Awards will finally be handed out on Sunday, and the big question is: Does anyone care enough to watch—whether via live TV or online streaming?
Considering how many of last year’s major films were bumped into 2021—which means no nominations for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story or Denis Villeneuve’s Dune—the Best Picture lineup is a mishmash of streaming premieres and smaller—if not unworthy—indie films, a fact that seems likely to extend the ceremony’s long ratings decline. (Turns out movies seem a lot less special when they are just spat out onto a streaming service.)
If the ratings for the pandemic-era Emmys and Golden Globes can tell us anything, it’s that people are even less interested in awards shows when they are taking place virtually (or maybe we’re just not in the mood to watch Hollywood celebrate itself). The Oscars will at least try to maintain a semblance of normality by bringing most of the (tested, probably vaccinated) stars together in one room, so if you want to watch, here’s how to do it.
It’s still on TV
The ratings are dropping, but we’re still a long way from the Oscars being booted off of a major network. As usual, your local ABC affiliate will carry the ceremony live, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 25. If you want to catch the pre-show—though this year’s red carpet festivities will reportedly be “teeny tiny”—that kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
How to stream the Oscars online
I live in New York City and still can’t manage to get a good over-the-air digital signal to save my life, so I’ll be watching online—and you might be able to, as well.
Via ABC.com
The awards will stream live on the ABC website, but unfortunately you won’t be able to head there to watch them without signing on via your pay TV provider, whether cable or satellite. Which, if you have those options, probably means you are less reliant on online streaming anyway, but that’s how it goes.
Via a “live TV” streaming service
If you’re a cord-cutter, you can also watch the show via various streaming services offering a live TV option, including Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, and FuboTV, each of which offers access to your local ABC affiliate.
If you don’t already subscribe to one of those services and you don’t mind burning your free trial just to catch the awards, you can sign up for each of them for 7 days and cancel before you’re charged—just don’t forget, as these services carry a much higher monthly fee than the standard $8-$15 you’ll typically pay for a streaming service.
For free via The Roku Channel
There is one surefire, free way to stream the 2021 Academy Awards, and it’s all thanks to Roku. The ceremony will stream live via The Roku Channel, and you can watch it online or with a mobile device by creating a free account; you can then cast the stream to your TV if you’ve got a compatible device like a Chromecast.
If you own a Roku device and want to watch on your TV, add the ABC News Live channel and load it up when the show starts. You can watch both the pre-show and the main event via this method, all without swearing as you adjust that useless digital antennae you paid $60 for.