How to Watch the 2026 Oscar Nominations

The 98th Academy Awards Nominations: Everything You Need to Know

Cinephiles, assemble. The anticipation is building as the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards are set to be revealed on Thursday in a livestream that promises to spark a lot of discussion. While some films and performances are considered strong contenders, the Oscars have always been known for their surprises, as seen in this month’s Golden Globes and last year’s ceremony.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of what you need to know about the announcement.

How Can I Watch?

The nominees will be announced by actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman, who will reveal the nominees in all 24 categories, including the new casting award. The livestream will take place from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The presentation will start at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time, and viewers can tune in live to the Academy’s website and social media platforms or to ABC’s "Good Morning America." It will also stream on "ABC News Live," Disney+, and Hulu. American Sign Language services will be available on YouTube.

Nine of the categories will be revealed at 5:30 a.m., followed by the remaining 15 categories at 5:41 a.m. after a short break.

Danielle Brooks received an Oscar nomination for her role in "The Color Purple" (2024), and Lewis Pullman starred in "Top Gun: Maverick," which won the Oscar for sound in 2023. He also co-starred alongside Amanda Seyfried in "The Testament of Ann Lee," another awards contender this season.

When Are the Oscars?

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, with streaming available on Hulu. The show starts at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

Who’s Hosting the Awards Show?

Conan O’Brien will return as host after his successful performance in 2025, which helped the show draw its biggest audience in five years. As Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Chief Executive Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a notably early announcement of O’Brien’s encore, "Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence."

The seasoned comic made an appearance in Mary Bronstein’s "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You," whose star Rose Byrne is likely to receive a nod in the actress category.

Who Are the Projected Front-Runners?

Ryan Coogler’s horror standout "Sinners" is projected to lead nominations with as many as 15. Along with Paul Thomas Anderson’s "One Battle After Another," the film may tie or even break the record for most Oscar nominations (14), which was first set by "All About Eve" (1951) and later matched by "Titanic" (1998) and "La La Land" (2017).

Other top contenders include Chloé Zhao’s "Hamnet," which took the best drama Golden Globe, Joachim Trier’s "Sentimental Value," and Josh Safdie’s "Marty Supreme." Plus, after "The Secret Agent" notched a couple of Globes wins, the Brazilian political thriller has its sights set on an Oscar next.

As for the individual categories, "Hamnet’s" Jessie Buckley is a sure bet for actress, and Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio are shoo-ins for their roles in "Marty Supreme" and "One Battle," respectively. Chalamet beat DiCaprio for the Golden Globe Award on Sunday.