ABC 93rd Oscars producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh
The 93rd Academy Awards, which honor the best in film for 2020, are airing live Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.
If you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch the 2021 Oscars live online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets) and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2021 Oscars live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. You can also watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most shows on-demand within three days (and sometimes longer) of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC (live in most markets) is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch the 2021 Oscars live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets) and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 2021 Oscars live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which includes most shows after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets) and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t come with a free trial, but you can get your first month for $10:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the 2021 Oscars live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
Oscars 2021 Preview
Produced by Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh, the 93rd Academy Awards is being treated as an “awards-show-as-movie” this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place.
“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh in a statement. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
The show is starring Riz Ahmed, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Bong Joon Ho, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Steven Yeun, Renée Zellweger and Zendaya.
But that’s not all. This year, the show is featuring some “serious pre-game and post-game action to enhance our main event,” the producers also said in a press release.
“Our suggestion is just tune in for the whole shebang, otherwise you’ll miss something really unexpected and fun,” they added.
Kicking things off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT is “Oscars: Into the Spotlight” featuring hosts Ariana DeBose and Lil Rel Howery and performers Celeste, H.E.R., Leslie Odom Jr., Laura Pausini, Daniel Pemberton, Molly Sandén and Diane Warren, who will each perform the five nominated original songs in their entirety.
Then starting immediately after the awards show itself is “Oscars: After Dark” hosted by Colman Domingo and Andrew Rannells and featuring interviews by movie critic Elvis Mitchell. It should start at approximately 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on ABC.
Additionally, Google is partnering with ABC to enhance the telecast for viewers who are vision and/or hearing impaired.
The press release reads:
Google is joining ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ efforts to broaden access of the 93rd Oscars® by sponsoring this year’s closed captioning, and in a telecast first, audio descriptions for the live telecast nationwide. The addition of audio description, which is audio-narrated descriptions of a program’s key visual elements, ensures that viewers who are blind and low vision will be able to take in all the action occurring on the screen and provide a much richer experience as they listen to the more traditional aspects of the show from the presenters, winners and performances. The closed captioning will be provided by VITAC, and the audio description will be provided by VITAC and Audio Eyes.
“Google is committed to making the world a more accessible place by working to ensure disabled people are represented in the stories we tell and the products we build,” says KR Liu, head of Brand Accessibility. “We are excited to do our part in making this year’s Oscars accessible for everyone by helping to make audio descriptions and captions available for viewers.”
During the show, Google will also run an ad that features the story of Google employee Tony Lee, a child of deaf parents, also called a CODA. The spot explores how his family communicates today with the help of Google products including Live Transcribe, Captions in Google Meet & Live Caption on Android and Chrome.
The entire Oscars programming block kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.