Last Updated on: 2nd March 2025, 09:43 pm

The 97th Academy Awards are just around the corner, and this year’s ceremony promises to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory. With a fiercely competitive best picture race and a lineup of first-time Oscar hopefuls, the 2025 Oscars are set to deliver unforgettable moments. Stars will gather at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, for a night of glitz, glamour, and celebration. If you’re in Canada and wondering how to catch all the action live, here’s your ultimate guide to watching the Oscars.

When Are the Oscars 2025?

The 2025 Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT, with a live broadcast starting at the same time. This marks the second year the Oscars are starting earlier, ensuring that the best picture award is announced before audiences head to bed.

How do I watch the Oscars From Canada?

In Canada, the Oscars will be broadcast live on CTV, the official broadcaster for the Academy Awards. CTV has long been the go-to destination for Canadians to watch the Oscars, offering comprehensive coverage of the ceremony, red carpet arrivals, and behind-the-scenes moments.

Streaming Options

For those who prefer streaming, the Oscars will also be available on SteadyFlix OTT, a platform offering full coverage of the 97th Academy Awards. This is an excellent alternative for viewers looking for a seamless streaming experience.

Who’s Hosting the Oscars 2025?

This year, the Oscars will be hosted by the legendary comedian and Emmy Award-winning TV host Conan O’Brien. Known for his sharp wit and comedic timing, O’Brien is set to bring his unique charm to the ceremony, marking his first time as an Oscars host.

At a recent news conference, O’Brien joked about his excitement, saying, “I never have been invited to the Oscars. I only hosted so that I could be invited.” He also compared hosting the Oscars to “for the first time getting to drive a Ferrari,” adding that he hopes to keep the custom-made tuxedo he’ll be wearing, calling it “the nicest thing I’ve ever put on in my life.”

The nominees

2025 is an interesting year for the Oscars in that the lead nominee, Emilia Pérez, is a Netflix film. With 13 nominations, including one for Best Picture, the Spanish-language musical crime drama is the most-nominated non-English-language film in Oscars history. Netflix has long been vying to win Best Picture, especially after rival streamer Apple took home the top award for 2021’s CODA.

That said, Emilia Pérez has been met with a slew of controversy, from Mexicans and trans people blasting the film for perpetuating stereotypes and star (and Best Actress nominee) Karla Sofía Gascón coming under fire for offensive tweets from a few years ago about Muslims, George Floyd and diversity.

One of the other top nominees, The Brutalist (10 nominations), has also drawn criticism for using AI to punch up the Hungarian dialogue of actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, as well as to create some of the film’s architectural designs.

Here are the ten films up for Best Picture:

• Anora (Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker)
• The Brutalist (Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet)
• A Complete Unknown (Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman)
• Conclave (Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman)
• Dune: Part Two (Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve)
• Emilia Pérez (Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard)
• I’m Still Here (Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira)
• Nickel Boys (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes)
• The Substance (Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner)
• Wicked (Marc Platt)

It’s worth noting that one of the nominees, Dune: Part Two, hails from Quebec’s own Denis Villeneuve, who served as producer, co-writer and director. His fellow Canadians Patrice Vermette and Shane Vieu were also nominated for Best Production Design for the acclaimed sci-fi sequel. On top of that, other 2025 Canadian Oscar nominees include Vancouver’s Samanthan Quan (one of the Anora producers), Best Documentary Feature for B.C. residential school documentary Sugarcane from directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie and Best Costume Design for Toronto’s Linda Muir for Nosferatu.

The full list of 2025 Oscar nominees can be found here.

The presenters

Some of the big names taking to the stage to hand out awards include:

• Halle Berry
• Sterling K. Brown
• Willem Dafoe
• Ana de Armas
• Robert Downey, Jr.
• Elle Fanning
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Selena Gomez
• Scarlett Johansson
• Cillian Murphy
• Amy Poehler
• Da’Vine Joseph Randolph
• Ben Stiller
• Emma Stone
• Oprah Winfrey

Performers

As many had hoped for, the Oscars have confirmed that Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will perform live at this year’s show. Specifics haven’t been confirmed about which song(s) they’ll perform, but one would have to at least expect the standout “Defying Gravity.”

Beyond the Wicked stars, this year’s Oscars will also feature performances by Blackpink’s Lisa (who’s currently acting in HBO’s The White Lotus), Doja Cat, Queen Latifah and Raye.