Oscars Telecast Will Begin 1 Hour Earlier for the First Time

The days of the Oscar ceremony running past midnight and into the next day – at least in America’s Eastern time zone – have come to an end.

ABC, the longtime broadcasting network of the Oscars show, announced Thursday that the Oscars will air live coast to coast on Sunday, March 10, in a new earlier time slot (7-10:30 p.m. ET/4-7:30 p.m. PT).

In recent years, the show has kicked off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. This change is a historic first for the movie world’s biggest night, placing it earlier in the TV schedule than it’s ever been.

The network added, “A 30-minute pre-show will lead into the live show (6:30-7 p.m. ET/3:30-4 p.m. PT), and immediately following, ABC will air an original episode of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series ‘Abbott Elementary.'”

As pep tradition, “The telecast will also be rebroadcast in the Pacific Time zone in primetime after the live presentation.”

Previously, Jimmy Kimmel was announced as the host of the 96th Oscars ceremony, marking the late-night host’s fourth time as emcee of the event.

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