Ballots filled out? Watch party organized? Good, because it’s time to see who will win big at this year’s Oscars! The 97th Academy Awards begin at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. Unlike in most years, which film will take home best picture is still very much in doubt. While “Emilia Pérez” entered awards season as the favorite, having secured the most nominations, controversy has made that film’s win less likely. Since then, both “Anora” and “Conclave” have picked up important precursor awards, so the evening’s top prize is still up in the air. I recommend finding out who takes home every award of the night live with 50% off of a subscription to Sling TV.

How to watch 2025 Academy Awards

• When: Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
• Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV or Hulu.
• From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.

Everything you need to know about 2025 Academy Awards

Why we chose Sling TV to watch 2025 Academy Awards

If you are a movie lover who needs to find a live TV streaming service to watch the Oscars, and also wants a streamer that will provide you access to all of your favorite broadcast and cable channels, then Sling is the best option for you. While the platform doesn’t come with a free trial, Sling is the cheapest way to watch the best that traditional television has to offer. The Academy Awards will air on ABC, which is available on Sling’s Blue plan.

Both of Sling’s base plans (Orange and Blue) cost just $46 per month. This makes it the cheapest way to stream the Academy Awards, shows, movies, sports, and news live on ABC. If you’re a new customer, Sling is also offering a 50% discount off your first month of service. So, this means that you can watch the Oscars for as little as $23 and get a full month of Sling Blue service for as little as $23. If you want even more channels, you can package the Blue plan with the Orange for $62 per month — still $20 cheaper than every other major streamer. However, for the first month, it will only cost you $31.

Keep in mind that Sling does not offer ABC in every market, so make sure that you know whether or not you will get the broadcast before signing up for the service.

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Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

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Can you stream 2025 Academy Awards for free?

Yes, there are several ways to watch the Oscars for free. If you only care about having access to ABC for Sunday night’s broadcast, then we recommend going with Hulu. For the first time, the Academy Awards will stream on a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in the United States. Since both ABC and Hulu are both owned by Disney, the company’s general entertainment platform gets the honor. Hulu comes with a generous 30-day free trial, and is the streaming home of multiple films nominated for prizes this season. A subscription to Hulu stars at just $10 per month.

If you are looking for a streamer that offers more than just on-demand content, then we would recommend going with DIRECTV STREAM. Not only does the streamer carry ABC in nearly every market in the country, but it comes with the industry’s longest guaranteed free trial at five days. However, once the trial ends, DIRECTV STREAM is significantly more expensive than Sling at $87 per month.

Hulu + Live TV is another great choice for a free trial service to watch the Oscars. It comes with a three-day trial, and carries ABC across the country. Hulu + Live TV plans start at $83 per month, but also come with the Disney Bundle, so you also get the full on-demand version of Hulu, as well as Disney+, and ESPN+ at no extra cost.

While those two streamers have straightforward trials, these next two are a little more murky. Fubo’s trial can last anywhere from one to seven days, depending on varying factors. Fubo comes with ABC and other local channels in its Essential plan, starting at $85 per month. YouTube TV carries ABC in most areas, and costs $83 per month after the trial. As with Fubo, the trial length depends on a whole host of factors, and lasts between two days and two weeks.

What are all the services you can use to stream the 2025 Academy Awards?

We have already run through the majority of streamers that you can use to watch the Oscars, but if you are looking to find a long-term streaming service and want to avoid the potential of having to pay more if price hikes strike, then DIRECTV via Internet is your best bet. Packages start as low as $70 per month and come with a two-year price guarantee. This, of course, locks you into a two-year contract, but with prices increasing fairly regularly, it is understandable why this would be an attractive offer to many people.

Ultimately, there are tons of different ways to stream the ceremony, and while we recommend Sling TV as the best way to stream all of the entertainment that Hollywood has to offer, you have plenty of options to find the platform that meets your needs.

Watch a promo for 2025 Academy Awards

About 2025 Academy Awards

Iconic talk-show host and comedian Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards live. From blockbuster movies to arthouse films, the Oscars will honor the best in 2024 cinema. Films like “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” and “Wicked” are competing to win Best Picture and other awards, and the only way to see who wins is to watch live!

The Oscars ceremony is about more than just the movies themselves, however. Artists like Doja Cat, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah and RAYE will bring showstopping performances to the Oscars stage on Sunday night, making the entire evening a can’t-miss affair.

Who is presenting at the 2025 Academy Awards?

Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Cillian Murphy, Amy Poehler, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, June Squibb, Emma Stone, and Bowen Yang were among the first stars tabbed to present at the 2025 Oscars.

Additional presenters will include Joe Alwyn, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Connie Nielsen, Ben Stiller. and Oprah Winfrey.

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