The stage is set, the red carpet is in place, and Hollywood is gearing up for its biggest night of the year – the Oscars. Adding a touch of star power to the ceremony, actor Priyanka Chopra is set to take the stage as one of the presenters. If you’re wondering how to catch the glitz, glamour and big wins live, here’s everything you need to know.
When and where to watch Oscars 2026
The 98th Academy Awards, honouring the best films of 2025 and the artists behind them, will take place on March 15 in Los Angeles.
The 2026 Oscars will be broadcast live across television and digital platforms worldwide. In India, viewers can stream the ceremony on JioHotstar, which will also offer an on-demand replay after the live telecast concludes.
For those watching on TV, the awards will air on channels including Star Movies, Star Movies Select and Colors Infinity.
The red carpet festivities are set to kick off at 3:30 AM IST on Monday, March 16, building up to the main awards ceremony, which begins at 4:30 AM IST. For those unable to tune in live, the ceremony will also be repeated later in the day at 9:00 PM IST.
In the United States, the ceremony will be broadcast on ABC, with coverage also available on Hulu and E!. Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the event on ITV, while audiences in Australia can tune in via Channel 7.
All about Oscars 2026
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Comedian Conan O’Brien will return to host the award ceremony.
When it comes to the nominations, Sinners is leading with a stunning 16 Oscar nominations, shattering the previous record of 14 held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016). Sinners is up for Best Picture, Actor Michael B. Jordan, Supporting Actress Wunmi Mosaku, Supporting Actor Delroy Lindo, Director and Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Music Score, Song I Lied To You. Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Makeup & Hair, Casting and Visual Effects.
It is followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another with 13 nominations. The other big films that are vying for multiple wins include Hamnet, Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein.
The competition for the Oscars’ top prize: Best Picture includes Sinners, The Secret Agent, Blue Moon, Bugonia, F1: The Movie, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams.
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) are in the race to pick up the Best Actor trophy. Other contenders in the category include Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).
In running for Best Actress are Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Emma Stone (Bugonia), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue).
Priyanka Chopra will represent India on the global stage. She will be joining the award ceremony as a presenter. Some of the other presenters at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony include Will Arnett, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The previously announced Oscars presenters include Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, and Zoe Saldaña.
Apart from Priyanka, Indian American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir has earned two nominations for two different films. Her film The Perfect Neighbor is nominated in the best documentary feature category, while The Devil is Busy is in the running for best documentary short.