The Oscars® on ABC: Preview and How to Watch With Sling
The 2026 Oscars® feature a number of tight races and the return of Conan O’Brien. Here are full details, plus how to watch with Sling.
Between the opening monologue, the glamorous fashion, and the unexpected moments that can only happen live, The Oscars® are always must-see television. But this year’s awards ceremony – which airs Sunday, March 15 at 7pm ET/4pm PT LIVE on ABC – should also feature plenty of intrigue to go with the dramas.
With key “Best Picture” wins at Oscar precursors like the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, the PGA Awards, and the Critic’s Choice Awards, One Battle After Another has been an awards season juggernaut. A victory at the Oscars – where it’s also favored to win – would make it by far the most awarded film of the decade. However, beyond Jesse Buckley’s expected win in the “Best Actress” category for Hamnet, the other “above-the-line” races are as wide-open as they’ve been in years. The seemingly two-man race between Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle… was upended by Michael B. Jordan’s win for Sinners at the Actor Awards. Sean Penn (One Battle…), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) are all viable contenders in the “Best Supporting Actor” category, while Amy Madigan (Weapons), Teyana Taylor (One Battle…), and Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), are all in contention for the “Best Supporting Actress” award.
Here are full details on the broadcast, nominees, and, most importantly, how to watch The Oscars® live on ABC with Sling.
How To Watch The Oscars® Live on ABC With Sling TV
The following ABC affiliates are available with a subscription to Sling Blue, Sling Select, or Orange + Blue in their local markets:
WABC-TV New York
KABC-TV Los Angeles
WLS-TV Chicago
WPVI-TV Philadelphia
KGO-TV San Francisco
KTRK-TV Houston
WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham
KFSN-TV Fresno
Use the link below to watch The Oscars® live on ABC with Sling Blue in select markets.
https://main--sling--aemsites.aem.page/aemedge/fragments/try-sling-blue
Who is Hosting The Oscars®?
https://youtu.be/hoEkhFD7su8?si=vu7uOiCcgTqgfEZv
After a well-received debut at last year’s ceremony, late night legend and podcast host Conan O’Brien is returning to host for the second time. With his wealth of previous awards show hosting experience, Conan looked assured and confident his first time in the Oscars spotlight, and his second go-round figures to be even stronger. After years of rotating hosts and solid if unspectacular turns from Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars may have found its new Billy Crystal.
Who are the Presenters?
On March 11, the Oscars announced its final batch of presenters, including Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver. They join the previously announced group of Will Arnett, Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kieran Culkin, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Anne Hathaway, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Paul Mescal, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maya Rudolph and Zoe Saldaña. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Bridesmaids reunion will also take place in honor of that film's 15th anniversary, as well as a Marvel reunion (presumably between Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.). They also teased that there's "going to be an extraterrestrial on the stage."
Who is Performing at The Oscars®?
This year's Oscars will feature performances of two "Best Original Song" nominees. According to ABC, “EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI, the singing voices behind HUNTR/X, will perform the Oscar®-nominated original song "Golden"’ from KPop Demon Hunters. Sinners will also have a moment in the spotlight, with star Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq performing "I Lied To You," while Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith join them in “an homage to the film's singular visual style.” Josh Groban and the Los Angeles Master Chorale round out the list of performers, presumably for the “In Memoriam” segment.
What is the schedule on Oscar night?
The official red carpet show gets underway beginning at 6:30pm ET/ 3:30pm PT on Sunday, March 15, live on ABC. That’s followed by the 98th Oscars® live from the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT, also on ABC.
What Are the 2026 Oscar Nominees?
Since the nominees were announced on Jan. 22, several of the titles that were still only in theatres have become available to rent at home on-demand. Here’s an updated list on how to watch the films nominated in the major categories: For a complete list of Oscar nominees, follow this link.
Bold indicates winner
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan in Sinners
Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley in Hamnet
Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro in One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo in Sinners
Sean Penn in One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård in Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan in Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners
Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another
Best Director
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon: Written by Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident: Written by Jafar Panahi; Script collaborators – Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian
Marty Supreme: Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value: Written by Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier
Sinners: Written by Ryan Coogler
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia: Screenplay by Will Tracy
Frankenstein: Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet: Screenplay by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle After Another: Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams: Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Watch The Oscars® Red Carpet on ABC News Live With Sling Freestream
https://watch.sling.com/1/channel/6f6788bea06243da873b8b3450b4aaa0/watch?embed=true&autoplay=true&trackingId=blog-oscars
ABC News Live on Sling Freestream will have full coverage of the Oscars red carpet, from the best fashion to interviews you won’t see anywhere else. Tune-in to On the Red Carpet at the Oscars, beginning at 3:30pm ET/ 12:30pm PT. Watch live in the video player above!