Later this evening, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony will kick off live from Los Angeles. With Jimmy Kimmel assuming hosting duties once again, we’ll undoubtedly be greeted with a number of hilariously crafted sketches as we learn which films and actors were Oscar worthy in 2016.
If you’re one of millions who have cut the cord, or even if you just so happen to be on-the-go during tonight’s televised broadcast, there’s no need to fret. Indeed, catching all of the festivities straight from your iOS device is certainly doable, though there are some restrictions which we’ll get to in a second.
The Oscars ceremony is set to air on ABC and will begin at 8:30 on the east coast and 5:30 on the west coast. That said, here’s how you can ensure that you won’t miss even a second of the festivities.
The easiest way to catch all of the action from your iPhone or iPad is to simply go to ABC’s Live Stream page (or open up the Watch ABC app) and sign in with your TV provider, a long list which includes Xfinity, AT&T U-Verse, Charger, DirecTV, Dish and more.
Sounds simple enough, but there are some geographic restrictions that are curiously in effect. That said, only viewers from the following cities can take advantage of the ABC Live Stream: Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco.
There is one caveat, though, which applies to DirecTV subscribers who can access the live stream from the following additional markets: Albuquerque, Boston, Ft. Smith / Fayetteville, Jackson (Mississippi), Kansas City, Milwaukee, Monterey-Salinas, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Portland-Auburn (Maine), Savannah, and West Palm Beach.
Also of note is that ABC will air an All Access video feed (available here) that will not show the actual show but will provide interviews with nominees and other backstage and red carpet goodies.
Now as to why ABC would make catching The Oscars much more daunting a task than it should be, well, that’s anybody’s guess.
In any event, to help get you primed for the event, below is a list of nominees across a few categories.
BEST PICTURE
- Arrival
- Fences
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Hell or High Water
- Hidden Figures
- La La Land
- Lion
- Manchester by the Sea
- Moonlight
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
- Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
- Ryan Gosling, La La Land
- Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
- Denzel Washington, Fences
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Isabelle Huppert, Elle
- Ruth Negga, Loving
- Natalie Portman, Jackie
- Emma Stone, La La Land
- Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
