The 91st Academy Awards, or Oscars, may still be a few months away, but prestige film season is already upon us, and it’s great fun to make predictions about who will win the acting trophies, as well as which film will take home the big award in real time. Also, it doesn’t hurt to figure out how you are going to view the broadcast well beforehand.
Airing February 24th, 2019, the Oscars already attracted a bit of controversy by announcing a new award for “achievement in popular film” before postponing it a little while later after a heated response in the press. The new award would have honored big budget crowd pleasing films rather than the art films and period pictures typically favored by the Academy. However, fans will now have to wait until 2020 to see this new award given out during the ceremony.
Still, even while the 2019 broadcast might not have any radically new features compared to previous shows, it is still the biggest night of the year for the film industry and cinephiles, alike. If you are a movie buff, you will not want to sit this one out.
Where to watch the Oscars on TV around the world
Unlike other American award shows, which are broadcast exclusively in the United States and not shown anywhere else, the Oscars ceremony has plenty of carriers, worldwide. For example, the Oscars broadcast was shown in 255 countries on five continents. However, depending on your circumstances, you might want to consider using a VPN to stream the show.
Below is a list of channels that aired the Oscars in countries around the world. While the list of local broadcaster channels for 2019 hasn’t been released, it’s still a good reference on what to expect this upcoming February.
Why use a VPN to stream the Oscars
If you live in any of the above countries, but don’t have access to the channels broadcasting the Oscars, you may want to consider using a VPN to stream the awards show. A VPN reroutes your internet connection to one of many servers around the world, granting you a local IP address. This makes it seems as if you are actually logging on to the internet within that country, allowing you to access websites, streaming services, and other content normally unavailable to those outside the country.
In the case of the Oscars, the country you live in may require the purchase of an expensive cable TV package in order to watch, or it may not be broadcast at all. If so, you should subscribe to a VPN with servers in the U.S. to stream the show. While good VPNs aren’t free, they are typically much cheaper than extensive TV packages and come with the added benefit of encrypting your connection, barring any hacker from monitoring your activity or stealing your files.
Using Hulu Live TV to stream the Oscars
If you choose to go the route of using a VPN to stream the Oscars, the first step will be to subscribe to a VPN with server options inside the U.S., while the second step will be to subscribe to Hulu Live TV.
Hulu Live TV is a streaming service that gives users access to unlimited live streams of 60 television channels, including ABC, home of the Oscars. Hulu Live TV is normally unavailable to those outside of the United States, but by using your VPN to connect to a U.S. server, you can bypass this regional restriction.
The service isn’t cheap — $39.99 a month, but if you are only interested in viewing the Oscars, and nothing else in Hulu’s streaming library, then you can take advantage of Hulu’s 7-day free trial. Just sign up within a week of the broadcast, and cancel shortly thereafter, free of charge.
How to stream the Oscars online with a VPN
Here’s a step-by-step guide to streaming the Oscars with a VPN:
- Subscribe to a good VPN provider with multiple U.S. server locations (picking one from our list below is a good bet).
- Download and install the VPN client on your computer and the device you plan on streaming the Oscars on.
- Clear your browser’s cache to clean the record of past visits to streaming sites.
- Using the VPN client, connect to a server in the U.S.
- Download and install Hulu on your streaming device, and create an account (make sure the VPN is connected).
- Come Oscar night, connect to the live ABC broadcast from Hulu Live TV, and enjoy the show!
Supported devices
- Most of the top VPNs are compatible with just about any device, including Windows, as well as iOS, Android, and digital media players like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV.
- Hulu is compatible with web browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, gaming consoles such as Xbox 360 and Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and select Samsung and LG TV models.
Best VPNs for streaming the Oscars
ExpressVPN
Our top pick!
- Always evades internet control in the PRC
- Keeps ahead of the Netflix VPN detection algorithm
- Benchmark tests show excellent speed
NordVPN
- More US city locations than its rivals
- Includes malware protection
- No-logs policy
CactusVPN
- 24-hours free trial
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No logs and no bandwidth caps