The Academy Awards return with the 98th edition on Monday (IST). The annual event that recognises the most notable cinematic achievements of 2025 will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Here’s everything you need to know about the ceremony.
What time will the 98th Oscars be airing?
The 98th Academy Awards will be broadcast on March 16 at 4:30am IST on March 16.
Where to watch the Oscars 2026?
Viewers in India can catch the 2026 Oscars broadcast on Star Movies as well as via the JioHotstar streaming platform.
Who is hosting the Oscars 2026?
Comedian Conan O'Brien will once again take on hosting duties, returning for a second consecutive year to lead the ceremony.
Who will present the Oscars this year?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) revealed last month that the four winners from 2025 — Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña — will return to present awards at this year’s Oscars.
The line-up of presenters also includes Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver.
The roster also includes Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph.
Who is performing at the Oscars 2026?
Miles Caton will perform this year’s Oscar-nominated song I Lied to You from Sinners alongside Raphael Saadiq. They will be joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey, and Alice Smith.
Fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X is set to perform their hit song Golden from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters at the 98th Oscars. The vocals for the performance will be provided by real-life artistes EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami.
Who are the nominees at the Oscars 2026?
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners leads the 2026 Oscar nominations with a record-breaking 16 nods, closely followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another with 13.
Both films are top contenders for Best Picture, alongside Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value, each of which bagged nine nominations.
What’s new at this year’s ceremony?
The Academy will introduce a new award this year recognising excellence in casting. The category, announced in 2024, will honour casting work in films released during 2025.
Among the casting directors nominated for the inaugural prize are Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent and Francine Maisler for Sinners.
Are there any special surprises in store for viewers?
The 2026 Oscars stage will feature several star-studded reunions. Oscars executive producer Raj Kapoor revealed that a reunion of the cast from Bridesmaids is lined up. Oscar nominee Rose Byrne will reunite with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy to celebrate the raunchy comedy’s 15th anniversary.
Oscars producer Katy Mullan also confirmed that superhero fans can expect a special Marvel reunion as part of the show.
Meanwhile, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are set to lead the ‘In Memoriam’ tribute to their When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner. Earlier this month, Variety reported that Barbra Streisand was in talks to deliver a musical tribute to her The Way We Were co-star Robert Redford, who passed away in September 2025.
And fans of The Devil Wears Prada may also be in for a surprise on March 16, as per reports.
