The 89th Academy Awards are right around the corner on Sunday, February 26 at 7 p.m. ET. They will be airing on ABC in the US and on CTV for our friends to the North. If you’re a film lover, there isn’t a bigger night of the year. All the stars come out, dressed in their best and brightest outfits, to entertain and be celebrated for the previous years’ work. Who will you root for when the curtain goes up and the names are announced? Are you an Emma Stone fan or are you hoping for a win for Meryl Streep? And don’t discount Natalie Portman for her role in Jackie. No matter which star is your favorite, don’t miss the chance to find out who wins!
As a cord cutter, knowing that the Oscars are airing on ABC is good news. That means that you don’t need cable to watch it. This should alleviate a lot of issues with trying to find ways to watch it without cable. You can watch the Academy Awards in a number of different ways whether you choose watching on your TV or online. Here are you most popular options.
Watch on Your TV
HDTV Antenna
Being on ABC & CTV means that you can watch he Academy Awards on your TV with a digital antenna. If you’re a cord cutter you probably already have an antenna, so you have your local channels ready to go. If you aren’t going to be home when the Oscars are on, if you have an over-the-air DVR setup you can record the show and watch it later!
Watch Online
If you plan to watch the Academy Awards online, you’ve got a few (limited) choices here, too. It’s important to remember that while there are some live stream options, most of them only allow you to watch local channels like ABC in select cities. Much of the country will only have access to local channels on-demand. This means that with most of them you’ll be able to watch the day after the show airs on TV, so an antenna is your simplest and cheapest option.
Sling TV
If you want to watch ABC with Sling TV, you’ll need to first confirm if it’s available in your area and you’ll also need the Broadcast Extra package. You’ll pay $20 for the Sling TV Orange package plus an additional $5/month to get ABC and a select number of other channels. ABC is available on-demand for most parts of the country, and in live stream for cities like Houston and New York. Sling TV Orange includes more than 30 channels like AMC, TBS, and TNT. It also comes with a 7-day trial so you can watch free for a week.
DIRECTV NOW
DIRECTV NOW packages start at $35/month and it also offers a free one-week trial. ABC and other locals are included in select cities or they are available on-demand. Other channels include AMC, ESPN, Discovery, and TNT. You can watch DIRECTV NOW on most streaming devices except Roku.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue offers ABC in seven cities including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Packages start at $30 and channels include AMC, ESPN, FOX News, TNT, and many others. You can watch PlayStation Vue on PS3/PS4, iPod, Roku, and other devices. Vue also offers a free trial and a cloud-based DVR that will allow you to record the shows you watch.
Whether you choose live stream or on-demand viewing or decide to watch on your TV, make sure to tune in on Sunday evening to see who takes home the coveted Oscar for best picture!
