How To Watch the 2026 Oscars Live: Red Carpet, TV, Streaming, and Start Times in Every Time Zone

The 98th Academy Awards happen on Sunday, March 15, and will celebrate the best films and performances of the year. The live ceremony follows hours of red carpet coverage that will showcase beloved celebrities arriving at the star-studded event.

Here's your complete guide to watching the 2026 Oscars, hosted by Conan O'Brien, including the TV channel, streaming options, and start times across time zones.

When the 2026 Oscars Will Start in Every Major U.S. and International Time Zone

Disney's website confirms that the 98th Academy Awards will start at 7:00 p.m. EST, an hour earlier than in past years. ABC's website provides details about when to watch the official preshow coverage, including The Oscars Red Carpet Show, which will be hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer and begin at 6:30 p.m. EST. Earlier coverage of celebrity arrivals, which is known as On the Red Carpet at the Oscars, will commence at 3:30 p.m. EST.

While that information covers EST viewers, there are film fans across the globe who also want to watch Hollywood's biggest night of the year. The following guide details when to tune in to watch the Oscars and its preshows in major time zones worldwide. Find your local start time below.

The 98th Academy Awards Start Times:

United States:
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 7:00 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 6:00 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 5:00 p.m.
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 4:00 p.m.
• Alaska Standard Time (AKST): 3:00 p.m.
• Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST): 2:00 p.m.

Canada:
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 4:00 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 5:00 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 6:00 p.m.
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 7:00 p.m.
• Atlantic Standard Time (AST): 8:00 p.m.
• Newfoundland Standard Time (NST): 8:30 p.m.

International:
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC — e.g., London): 12:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Central European Time (CET — e.g., Milan): 1:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Eastern European Time (EET — e.g., Helsinki): 2:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Moscow Standard Time (MSK): 3:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Gulf Standard Time (GST — e.g., Dubai): 4:00 a.m. (Monday)
• India Standard Time (IST): 5:30 a.m. (Monday)
• China Standard Time (CST — Beijing): 8:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Japan Standard Time (JST — Tokyo): 9:00 a.m. (Monday)
• Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST — Sydney): 11:00 a.m. (Monday)
• New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT — Auckland): 1:00 p.m. (Monday)

The Oscars Red Carpet Show Start Times:

United States:
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 6:30 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 5:30 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 4:30 p.m.
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 3:30 p.m.
• Alaska Standard Time (AKST): 2:30 p.m.
• Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST): 1:30 p.m.

Canada:
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 3:30 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 4:30 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 5:30 p.m.
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 6:30 p.m.
• Atlantic Standard Time (AST): 7:30 p.m.
• Newfoundland Standard Time (NST): 8:00 p.m.

International:
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC — e.g., London): 11:30 p.m.
• Central European Time (CET — e.g., Milan): 12:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Eastern European Time (EET — e.g., Helsinki): 1:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Moscow Standard Time (MSK): 2:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Gulf Standard Time (GST — e.g., Dubai): 3:30 a.m. (Monday)
• India Standard Time (IST): 5:00 a.m. (Monday)
• China Standard Time (CST — Beijing): 7:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Japan Standard Time (JST — Tokyo): 8:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST — Sydney): 10:30 a.m. (Monday)
• New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT — Auckland): 12:30 p.m. (Monday)

On the Red Carpet at the Oscars Start Times:

United States:
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 3:30 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 2:30 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 1:30 p.m.
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 12:30 p.m.
• Alaska Standard Time (AKST): 11:30 a.m.
• Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST): 10:30 a.m.

Canada:
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): 12:30 p.m.
• Mountain Standard Time (MST): 1:30 p.m.
• Central Standard Time (CST): 2:30 p.m.
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): 3:30 p.m.
• Atlantic Standard Time (AST): 4:30 p.m.
• Newfoundland Standard Time (NST): 5:00 p.m.

International:
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC — e.g., London): 8:30 p.m.
• Central European Time (CET — e.g., Milan): 9:30 p.m.
• Eastern European Time (EET — e.g., Helsinki): 10:30 p.m.
• Moscow Standard Time (MSK): 11:30 p.m.
• Gulf Standard Time (GST — e.g., Dubai): 12:30 a.m. (Monday)
• India Standard Time (IST): 2:00 a.m. (Monday)
• China Standard Time (CST — Beijing): 4:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Japan Standard Time (JST — Tokyo): 5:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST — Sydney): 7:30 a.m. (Monday)
• New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT — Auckland): 9:30 a.m. (Monday)

Live North American viewers will catch the 2026 Oscars on Sunday evening, while international audiences will tune in on early Monday morning.

The 2026 Oscars’ and Preshow's TV Channel and Streaming Options

During the 2026 Oscars, acclaimed movies like Sinners, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Frankenstein, and F1 will all be competing to win major awards. For movie fans in the United States who want to watch live and learn which films, actors, and behind-the-scenes artists will take home the highly coveted awards, there will be two viewing options.

TV channel viewers will be able to watch the awards show exclusively on ABC, so they will simply need to find the affiliate station in their area to enjoy the show live. The 98th Academy Awards will also stream live on Hulu in the United States, marking the first time the service will offer the full ceremony.

The 6:30 preshow coverage, The Oscars Red Carpet Show, will also air on ABC and stream on Hulu. However, the earlier coverage, On the Red Carpet at the Oscars, will air on ABC affiliates and stream on ABC News Live.