Academy Awards Will Stream Live Online
Attention, Oscars obsessives on-the-go: This Sunday’s broadcast of the 86th Academy Awards will be available to stream live online and through mobile devices. But there’s a catch (or two): Viewers must subscribe to one of eight specific cable companies in one of eight specific cities.
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According to the Associated Press, the ceremony will be available for subscribers of Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse. And it’s only available for viewers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and Fresno, California. A subscription log-in is required for three streaming options: Oscar.com, ABC.com and the mobile app WatchABC.com.
But don’t throw away your iPad in a fit of award season rage just yet. All viewers, regardless of cable provider or city, will have access to “The Oscars Backstage,” which features a mix of red carpet and backstage footage. Musical performances and other clips will also be available at Oscar.com at a slight delay.
How many people would be interested in a live Oscars stream, anyway? Last night, Conan O’Brien joked about the basic idea on his late-night show, Conan: “It’s perfect for anyone who’s ever watched the Oscars and thought, ‘This would be great – if only there were more buffering.”
The 86th Academy Awards will will air this Sunday, March 2nd, on ABC.