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How to Watch the Oscars 2025 Live For Free to See Which Stars & Films Make History

It's a night full of firsts in Hollywood.

By Jenzia Burgos

Jenzia Burgos

Watch the Oscars Live for Free

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The Academy Awards began in 1929 as a small industry gathering at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where just 15 awards were presented to around 270 guests. Today, it’s transformed into a global event watched by millions around the world who tune in to see which films and artists will take home cinema’s highest honors. As for this year’s awards, the standouts are plenty. The 97th Academy Awards features Emilia Pérez making history with 13 nominations—the most ever for a non-English language film—while Karla Sofía Gascón becomes the first openly transgender performer nominated for Best Actress.

When do the Oscars 2025 air?

The 2025 Oscars air on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

How to watch the Oscars 2025 live for free

The 2025 Oscars will air on ABC, which is available to stream on services like Fubo, DirecTV Stream, and Hulu+ With Live TV. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, and starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, and starts at $86.99 per month after the trial ends (with $10 off your first three months). While Hulu+ With Live TV doesn’t have a free trial, it does offer more bang for your buck than some other option, starting at $81.99 per month with plans that include free subscriptions to both Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.

Best Overall Pick to Watch the Oscars 2025: Fubo

Watch the Oscars With Fubo

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Fubo is our best overall pick to watch the 2025 Oscars live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers three plans: Pro, which costs $79.99 per month, Elite, which costs $89.99 per month, and Latino, which costs $32.99 per month. ABC is included in the Pro and Elite plans.

As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Ultimate includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the 2025 Oscars with Fubo’s free trial.

Visit Fubo.TV
Click “Start Free Trial”
Enter your information and payment method
Search for ABC and start watching the Oscars!

Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the Oscars 2025: DirecTV Stream

Watch the Oscars With DirecTV Stream

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Direct TV is our best free trial pick to watch the Oscars 2025 live for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. Direct TV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $86.99 per month; Choice, which costs $114.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $129.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $169.99 per month. ABC is available with all four plans.

As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the 2025 Oscars with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.

Visit streamtv.directv.com‘s packages page
Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
Enter your information and payment method
Search for ABC and start watching the Oscars!

Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the Oscars 2025: Hulu+ Live TV

Watch the Oscars With Hulu+ With Live TV

$81.99+

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Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch the 2025 Oscars based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $81.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $87.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $95.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. ABC is included in all four plans. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the 2025 Oscars with Hulu+ Live TV.

Visit Hulu.com/liveTV
Click “Sign Up Now”
Enter your information and payment method
Search for ABC and start watching the Oscars!

Who is the Oscars 2025 host?

Television veteran Conan O’Brien takes the helm as the Oscars 2025 host, marking his first appearance as master of ceremonies for Hollywood’s most prestigious event. In a recent interview with ABC7 Anchor Reggie Aqui, O’Brien shared his thoughts on hosting the iconic show.

“I think I’ve been blessed that things come to me at the right time. And so, for whatever reason—and I don’t know if I’m a spiritual person or what—but I do think that things come to me when I’m ready for them and when I’m supposed to do them,” O’Brien explained. “So, the fact that this is happening now probably means that it’s the right time.”

Who is performing at the 2025 Oscars?

This year’s ceremony will showcase an impressive lineup including Doja Cat, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, LISA from BLACKPINK, Queen Latifah, and RAYE. The Los Angeles Master Chorale will also make a special appearance during the broadcast.

Wicked stars Erivo and Grande are anticipated to kick off the show with musical selections from their nominated film. The ceremony will also include a heartfelt tribute to music legend Quincy Jones, who passed away in November 2024 at the age of 91. The tribute will feature Queen Latifah, who collaborated with Jones on many musical projects throughout the years.

“There are special moments that are planned and it’s about music, it’s about celebration, it’s about celebrating some really amazing pieces of film and even a Governor’s Award with Quincy Jones,” the show’s executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor said during a recent press conference, per Billboard. “The music performances are just really special and curated this year. And I think they speak to this year in film, and they also speak to icons and legends.”

Kapoor noted that the show will embrace several themes: “One is that we are honoring the city of Los Angeles. … We really wanted to create some really beautiful moments on stage that celebrate this amazing city that we live in, all the amazing films that have been filmed here, and just have a really uplifting and beautiful message that we hope really touches everybody who watches the show.”

Who are the presenters at the 2025 Oscars?

The ceremony will feature last year’s acting category winners—Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., and Da’Vine Joy Randolph—returning to present awards to this year’s recipients.

Additional presenters include Emilia Pérez stars Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña, alongside Ben Stiller and The Brutalist actor Joe Alwyn. For Gomez, this marks her first appearance as a presenter at the Academy Awards. The presenting lineup represents a diverse age range, from 25-year-old rising star Lily-Rose Depp to 95-year-old veteran performer June Squibb. Comedian and actor Nick Offerman will handle announcing duties throughout the evening’s proceedings.

Who are the Oscars 2025 nominees?

The 2025 Academy Award nominations are led by Emilia Pérez, which received an unprecedented 13 nominations, setting a new benchmark for non-English language films. This achievement surpasses the previous record of 10 nominations held jointly by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma.

Close behind are The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 nominations each, followed by A Complete Unknown and Conclave with 8 nominations apiece. The Best Picture category features these leading films alongside Anora, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and The Substance. Notable among the nominees is Coralie Fargeat, the sole female director nominated this year for The Substance, who also received recognition for her screenplay.

Several performers earned their first-ever Oscar nominations, including Demi Moore for her work in The Substance and Isabella Rossellini for Conclave. Another major milestone was achieved by Karla Sofía Gascón, whose nomination for Emilia Pérez marks the first time an openly transgender performer has been recognized in the Best Actress category.