2024 Oscars Shifts to Earlier Live Time Slot Before ‘Abbott Elementary’

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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The 2024 Academy Awards are getting an earlier start time.

The annual awards show will air live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on March 10. Instead of beginning at the usual early evening hour, the show will kick off at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. A 30-minute pre-show will lead into the live show, and a new episode of Emmy-winning viral hit comedy “Abbott Elementary” will air immediately following the Oscars. The Academy Awards air on ABC, and the telecast will be re-broadcast in the PT time zone in primetime after the live presentation.

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In years past, the Academy Awards faced dwindling viewership and complaints of an elongated live show that led the Academy to cut select categories from the broadcast, inciting backlash. The categories were reinstated for the 2023 awards show.

Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the 2024 Oscars for the fourth time. Raj Kapoor will serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan serving as executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is set to direct the telecast.

“We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars. They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a joint statement upon the announcement. “We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly, and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for going on this ride with us again.”

Kimmel’s turn as 2023 host led to a 13 percent increase in viewership from 2022, which saw the unprecedented Oscars slap with Will Smith attacking presenter Chris Rock onstage. The 2023 Oscars was the most watched awards show in three years.

IndieWire’s Oscar predictions include a short list of films ranging from “Poor Things” to “Maestro,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” to “Napoleon.” The IndieWire list of best films of the year further include “Past Lives,” “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” and “The Zone of Interest” in the running for Best Picture and Best Director categories.

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