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The best deals for watching the Oscars live without cable:
GET HULU FOR FREE
Hulu with ads
Free for T-Mobile customers
(save $11.99/month)
BEST LIVE TV STREAMING DEAL
YouTube TV
Free 21-day trial, then $59.99/month for 2 months
(save $46)
MOST AFFORDABLE LIVE TV STREAMING SERVICE
Sling Select
$19.99/month
It’s been another stellar year for cinema, and now it’s time to award the films that shone brightest. The 98th Oscars are upon us. On March 15, the Academy will honor the best movies of 2025 on Hollywood’s biggest night. Conan O’Brien is set to host the ceremony once again, and many of your favorite winners from years past will present the biggest awards of the night.
We’re hoping some of our favorites receive the awards they deserve — One Battler After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, and more — but it’s anyone’s game. Want to see who takes home the titles of Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and beyond? Here’s all the details you need to know to watch the 2026 Academy Awards live with or without cable.
When are the 2026 Oscars?
The 98th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 15, 2026, and will air live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu, with the pre-show airing ahead of it at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Who are this year’s Oscar nominees?
Sinners leads this year’s Oscars with a record-breaking 16 nominations. Basically, every award it could be nominated for, it is. One Battle After Another follows close behind with 13, while Marty Supreme earned nine, and Hamnet nabbed seven nominations.
Each year there are just as many snubs as there are surprises, and 2026 is no different. For instance, we were a bit flabbergasted that Wicked: For Good came up totally empty with zero nominations. Our favorite sad boy Paul Mescal, newcomer Chase Infiniti, and Jesse Plemons were also ignored by the Academy.
See a full list of the 2026 Oscar nominations below in the FAQ section of this story.
How to watch the Oscars live without cable in 2026
For those with cable or over-the-air TV, you can tune your TV to your local ABC station or watch online via ABC.com or the ABC app by logging in through your pay TV service provider. No cable access? No worries; For the second year in a row, the awards will simultaneously stream on Hulu for subscribers.
You also have the option of signing up for a live TV cable replacement service to catch the Oscars live. These services essentially act just like cable, giving you live access to a well-rounded channel selection via your internet connection (rather than a cable connection). They’re contract-free and often offer trials to test them out. That means you could very well watch the Oscars for free, then cancel before being charged. But we’ll leave the details up to you. Here are the best options (and deals) to watch.
Hulu streaming deals
Hulu is one of the most generous (if not the most generous) streamers in that it offers new and eligible returning subscribers a free 30-day trial. That means you can easily sign up and watch the Oscars for free during that time period. If you don’t qualify for the free trial, we’ve also rounded up a few ways to save some money on your subscription.
Limited-time bundle deal: Save $8/month on three months of Hulu and Disney+
$4.99/month for 3 months (save $8/month)
Through March 24, new subscribers can get both Hulu and Disney+ with ads for only $4.99 per month for three months. Typically $12.99 per month for the bundle, you’ll save $24 total on a three-month subscription. Only new and returning subscribers can score the deal; current Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, and bundle subscribers are not eligible.
Best Hulu deal for most people: Save 16% on a Hulu (with ads) annual subscription
$99.99 per year (save 16%)
The best way to cut the cost of a Hulu subscription on any given day is to sign up for an annual plan with ads. You’ll have to endure a few interruptions in your content and pay upfront, but it’ll save you 16% or just shy of $24 over the course of a year. A yearly subscription costs $119.99 (or $9.99 broken down monthly), while an $11.99 monthly plan would add up to $143.88 in a year. If you want to cut ties with ads, the price jumps to $18.99 per month and there’s no annual offer available at this time.
Best for students: Save $10/month with Hulu Student
Students can sign up for Hulu for only $1.99 per month and stream the Oscars live. That’s more than 80% off the usual cost of a Hulu with ads plan. The only requirement is that you can verify your college email address using SheerID.
Best for T-Mobile users: Hulu (with ads) included for select customers
Free for T-Mobile customers on Experience Beyond plan (save $11.99/month)
Aside from a 30-day free trial, the only other way to get Hulu for free in 2026 is by switching your phone plan to T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan. Customers on this plan can enjoy Hulu with ads for free, as well as Netflix and Apple TV.
Mashable Deals
Already on the Experience Beyond plan? Download or open the T-Life app, select Manage > See plans > Manage add-ons, then scroll to the Hulu streaming benefit and click “Continue.” Follow the prompts to link an existing account or create a new one.
Live TV streaming deals
If you prefer a cable alternative, which will give you access to your local ABC station as well as hundreds of other live channels, there are a few options we recommend. And many of them offer free trials and introductory pricing. Here are a couple options to choose from.
Best introductory offer: YouTube TV
21-day free trial, then $59.99/mo for your first 2 months (save $46)
YouTube TV’s base plan includes over 100 live channels, including your local ABC network. You’ll also get unlimited DVR space, three simultaneous streams, and up to six individual accounts with personalized recommendations. For a limited time, you can get a 21-day trial to test the waters, which means you can watch the Oscars for free. Then, your first two months will cost just $59.99 per month instead of the usual $82.99 per month.
Most affordable overall: Sling TV Select package (for select areas)
Sling’s a la carte setup and affordable pricing make it a huge competitor in the live TV streaming market. You can pick your package and channels depending on what you actually want to watch. You’ll need access to ABC to watch the Oscars live, which is included in Sling’s Select package for only $19.99 per month. Unfortunately, since ABC is a local network, it’s only available in some local markets. Check to see if your local market includes ABC before you pull the trigger — Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, and more are included.
Honorable mention: FuboTV
free 5-day trial, $48.99 for your first month
FuboTV offers five-day trials to newbies, giving you the ability to watch the Oscars on your local ABC station for free. You’ll get access to over 200 other networks, as well as unlimited cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 different screens. After your trial, the cost for your first month is $48.99 ($73.99 per month thereafter).
