James R | On 10, Mar 2023

It’s the same question every year: where can I watch the Oscars online in the UK – live, and legally? The answer is also the same: Sky.

The Academy Awards ceremony has long been the exclusive territory of the UK TV broadcaster, leaving British film fans without a subscription to the pay-TV service unable to enjoy the ceremony. Now, though, VOD service NOW allows viewers without Sky to stream all of Sky Cinema’s movie channels live, including the Oscars ceremony, on Sunday 12th March (well, technically Monday 13th March) – with no contract.

Catching up with this year’s awards contenders? See our guide to the 2023 Oscar nominees available to stream.

Option 1: Sky Cinema

A bundle that includes Sky TV, Netflix and Sky Cinema typically costs about £36 a month for 18 months, with set-up fees of up to £49 (prices may change). Sky Cinema, meanwhile, costs £11 for 18 months on top of a basic Sky TV package (saving £8 compared to rolling contract pricing). Either way, that gives you 12 Sky Cinema channels and an on-demand library of 1,000 movies on-demand, with Sky Cinema exclusives including Marlowe.

These days, Sky has a streaming app, Sky Go, which means that once ordered, you can start watching your Sky TV content straight away without having to wait for a box to be installed. Find out more information here.

Option 2: Sky TV

Don’t have the Sky Cinema add-on? The Oscars will also be available to watch for regular Sky TV subscribers, with Sky Max and Sky Showcase both broadcasting the event – both channels are available to all Sky TV customers for no extra charge.

Option 3: NOW

NOW gives non-Sky customers a way to access Sky Cinema’s catalogue of 1,000 movies on-demand without a contract. It currently costs £11.99 a month with a 7-day free trial for new customers, which means that eligible viewers could technically watch the 2023 Oscars online for zero pennies if they were to cancel their free trial within a fortnight. Or, for the price of an Entertainment Pass (£9.99 a month), you can access Sky’s main TV channels, including Sky Showcase.

The NOW app is available on a range of devices, including a NOW Box or Smart Box, NOW Smart Stick, iOS, Android, Chromecast, LG smart TVs, PlayStation 4 or 5, Roku box or streaming stick, Samsung TV, Sony TV, Windows, Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S, YouView (including TalkTalk & BT boxes), Mac OS, Apple TV, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and JVC Fire TV Edition Smart 4K TV. For more information, see nowtv.com.

Option 4: Freeview

Sky Arts, for the first time, will also be showing the Oscars ceremony from 12am, which will mean that anyone with Freeview can also watch the live broadcast, albeit without the 11pm pre-amble.

How to watch the Oscars live in the UK

On Sunday 12th March, users will need to go to Sky Cinema on their Sky TV box, or go to nowtv.com/gb/watch/movies/watch-live to stream a live feed of the Academy Awards on Sky Cinema Oscars.

At 11pm, Sky Cinema will present its pre-show warm-up – you can expect red carpet footage from E! sprinkled through the programme. If you don’t have Sky Cinema, you can also watch the pre-show on Sky Showcase and Sky Max.

At 12am, the 94th Academy Awards programme will begin and run until around 4am. Again, if you don’t have Sky Cinema, you can also watch the ceremony on Sky Showcase.

Repeat / Highlights

If you don’t fancy staying up overnight, on Monday 13th March a two-hour highlights reel will be broadcast in the evening.

Photo: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S

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