It's just a few more days until all of the speculation ends and the winners of the 2014 Oscars are revealed. For many of the categories, it's a close race with multiple nominees having a solid chance at taking home the trophy. With so few predictable categories, this year's ceremony is definitely one to watch but for anyone who doesn't have a TV or won't be near one on Sunday night, that can be a problem. Luckily, ABC will live-stream the Oscars for select groups and there are a few other (legal) ways to get your fix online.
1) ABC Live-Stream
The Oscars will air on ABC on Sunday night, and the network has announced that it will make the full broadcast available on both their website and Watch ABC mobile app — for some viewers. In order to access either stream, you'll need to login using your cable subscription and only eight cable companies are included: Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse. Additionally, it will only work in eight cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh, N.C., and Fresno, Calif.
So for anyone living in one of those cities and using one of those cable providers, you can watch the Oscars on any computer or mobile device. Of course, if you have a cable subscription you likely have a TV as well. For anyone in those cities without a subscription, maybe one of your friends will be kind enough to share their information for the night.
2) Red Carpet Live-Stream
The red carpet coverage before the show is much easier to access online, so if you care more about the fashion than the awards themselves, you won't even need a TV. E! will stream their red carpet coverage live on their website and on the free Live From the Red Carpet app. AP's red carpet coverage will also be available on livestream.com.
3) Oscar.com
The official Oscars website will have feature some content during the show, but not a full stream. Clips from the broadcast and backstage footage will be available a few minutes after they air live, including all of the musical performances. If you have no way of accessing Watch ABC, this is your best bet. It may not be a stream, but the highlights and clips chosen will at least show you the night's biggest moments and should reveal the major winners.
4) On Demand
This is really just a backup for anyone who can access Watch ABC but will be busy during the live airing. Using the same cable login, subscribers can watch the full Oscars ceremony and ABC's red carpet coverage using the network's on demand channel, for three days following Sunday's broadcast. However anyone planning to do this should probably avoid the Internet and general society during those three days, as there will definitely be spoilers abound.
5) Social Media
As a very last resort for those who have no other options, there's always social media. No, it's not actually watching the Oscars, but it's a way of finding out what happened and even seeing some of the night's most talked about moments. Tumblr will have plenty of GIFs throughout the night, Twitter will reveal winners and controversies, Instagram will showcase the fashion and Vine should have brief clips of popular moments. Just follow Bustle and any other favorite news sources, and you'll at least be part of the conversation.
Let's face it, not every minute of the Oscars is exciting. As long as you know who wins, who falls, who curses live on air and get to see the performance of "Let It Go," you're good.
