The 96th annual Academy Awards, set to air Sunday, March 10, will air on ABC in the U.S. starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, following a half-hour ABC preshow that starts at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The show is expected to wrap by 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, when ABC will air a new episode of its hit sitcom Abbott Elementary.
This start time is an hour earlier than the 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT start of past years, in what the Film Academy called a first. And this year the Oscars, taking place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, falls on the first day of daylight saving time, meaning it will feel even earlier to many U.S. viewers.
When the earlier start time was announced, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the decision to move up the Oscars broadcast was made by a desire to have the show wrap within primetime on the East Coast. In previous years, viewership on the earlier coast has dropped off as the notoriously long ceremony, which regularly runs more than three hours, progressed.
The 2023 Oscars was the highest-rated ceremony in three years, averaging 18.76 million viewers and a 4.03 rating among adults 18-49 on ABC. In a recent interview with THR, Oscars executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan were eager to remind people about the early start time.
Oscars showrunner Raj Kapoor meanwhile said, “We do think ABC and the Academy have done a good job so far. And we think there are a lot of benefits to the earlier start time. But, yeah, we’re just hoping everybody gets the memo.”
The 2024 Oscars will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time, accompanied by an all-star list of presenters including Bad Bunny, Nicolas Cage, Ariana Grande, Ryan Gosling, Anya Taylor-Joy, Regina King, Rita Moreno, John Mulaney, Al Pacino, Michelle Yeoh and Zendaya.
