New Zealand

Oscars 2024: Where and when to watch it in NZ, who's performing, and what's in the goodie bags?

Start time is just a few hours away!

Hollywood's ultimate prizegiving is happening today, with the 96th annual Oscars starting at 12 PM (NZT).

Kiwis can watch the award show on Disney+, with their coverage beginning at 11:30 AM. Celebs are already flocking onto the red carpet, so if you want to see their glamourous outfits, the Associated Press and ABC News are live-streaming the entrances on YouTube.

Late-night talk show star Jimmy Kimmel will be the host for the night, marking the fourth time he's had the honors. He MCed in 2017, 2018, and 2023 and joked in a statement that he "always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times."

Award presentations will look different than they have in recent previous Oscars, as the show will go back to a format it last used a decade and a half ago. For every acting award, five previous winners will go on stage to announce this year's nominees and the winner.

Even if they don't leave with a trophy, everyone up for an acting or directing award will go home with a gift bag worth NZ$288,000. According to Buzzfeed, these goodie bags contain an $80,000 holiday voucher to a Swiss ski resort, microneedling vouchers, handbags worth hundreds of dollars, and way more.

There have been some viral musical moments at the Oscars over the years and 2024 should be no different.

'Barbie' fans will be in for a treat as two original songs from the film will be performed live. Ryan Gosling will be singing his megahit 'I'm Just Ken', while Billie Eilish will belt out the emotional ballad 'What Was I Made For?'.

Also performing throughout the show will be Becky G ('The Fire Inside' from 'Flamin' Hot), Jon Batiste ('It Never Went Away' from 'American Symphony'), and Scott George and the Osage Singers ('Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)' from 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'.

And, because it's the Oscars, there's bound to be some drama that no one's expecting, whether it's an A-list slap or a best-picture slip-up, we'll have you covered if you can't tune in.