Oscar nominations 2026: How to watch, who’s announcing

Cinephiles, assemble.

Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be revealed Thursday in a livestream that’s sure to spur some chatter. While critics seem to agree on a few locks, as this month’s Golden Globes — and last year’s Oscars, for that matter — proved, there’s always room for surprise.

Here’s everything you need to know about the announcement.

How can I watch?

Actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman will announce the nominees in all 24 categories, including the new casting award, in a livestream from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The presentation will kick off at 5:30 a.m. Pacific, 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., and the 15 remaining ones will be announced at 5:41 a.m. after a short break.

Brooks received an Oscar nomination for her role in “The Color Purple” (2024), and 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.

Who’s hosting the awards show?

Conan O’Brien will return as host after his knockout 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 this past year 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 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.