# I stream TV thru a Roku box. How can I watch the Academy Awards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593 "2020-02-07T17:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/1 "2020-02-07T17:08:35Z")
I cut the cord and stream everything I watch on TV through a Roku box. How can I watch (for free) the Academy Awards this Sunday? Is there a free channel that will carry it? Thanks, J. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/2 "2020-02-07T17:19:51Z")
[https://oscar.go.com/faq](https://oscar.go.com/faq) Nothing for free. Looks like it’s only available on the ABC app if you have a cable subscription. Otherwise you need YouTubeTV or Hulu with Live. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/3 "2020-02-07T17:28:38Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > Is there a free channel that will carry it? Well, you could watch it on the over-the-air ABC affiliate station in your area. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/4 "2020-02-07T17:38:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, you could watch it on the over-the-air ABC affiliate station in your area. Right. A lot of people forget or don’t know that many networks can be received with an antenna. If you have cut the cord, getting an antenna is a great way to watch shows on the major networks. There’s also a number of other sub-channels that show more oddball content like old reruns, movies, game shows and stuff like that. If you live in a major area, a simple antenna will likely work fine. If you end up watching a lot of OTA content, it’s handy to get an OTA DVR so you can watch stuff whenever you want. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/5 "2020-02-07T17:43:23Z")
If you live in an urban area, you can see if [Locast](https://www.locast.org/) is an option. They stream over-the-air television for free (well, they accept donations). Edit: I haven’t tried it and was reading older articles saying you’ll get bugged for a donation while watching so maybe try it now and see if it’ll work or is a dead end option. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/6 "2020-02-07T17:53:21Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Right. A lot of people forget or don’t know that many networks can be received with an antenna. Much easier said than done in some cases, including mine. I live about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, in an area surrounded by hills, and as I live in a townhouse, I can’t install a rooftop antenna (and even if I could, I don’t think it would be high enough to do any good), so I can’t get either city’s broadcast network stations with any degree of certainty, except for the San Francisco area’s NBC affiliate, which has a repeater tower closer to where I live as it is a San Jose station and has no broadcast tower in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/7 "2020-02-07T18:23:50Z")
Doesn’t hurt to try the antenna, though. Go to your local Best Buy or even Wal Mart and pick one out. They’re like $30-50. Don’t need anything on the roof or outside (to start). Bring it home and hook it up and see if it works. If not, take it back to the store where you got it. At least now you know. I have a pair of rabbit ears, not even a fancy Leaf-like antenna, and I get some 30 channels OTA. As **That Don Guy** says, tho, your mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/8 "2020-02-07T18:26:50Z")
From USA Today: [How to watch the Oscars without cable: Academy Awards 2020](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/02/05/how-to-watch-oscars-without-cable-academy-awards-2020/4649470002/) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/9 "2020-02-07T19:33:56Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > [https://oscar.go.com/faq](https://oscar.go.com/faq) > > Nothing for free. Looks like it’s only available on the ABC app if you have a cable subscription. Otherwise you need YouTubeTV or Hulu with Live. Well YoutubTV has a 2 week free trial (offer ending February 13): > **[YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News](https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/)** > > Stream live TV from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN & popular cable networks in English and Spanish. Record without DVR storage space limits. Try it free. Cancel anytime. And Hulu with Live has a 7 day free trial: > **[Watch Thousands of Shows and Movies | Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/start/newhome)** > > Stream full seasons of exclusive series, current-season episodes, hit movies, Hulu Originals, kids shows, and more. Watch on your TV, laptop, phone, or tablet. Free trial available for new and eligible returning subscribers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/10 "2020-02-07T19:51:03Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Right. A lot of people forget or don’t know that many networks can be received with an antenna. Some of us remember when that was the only way to watch TV. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/11 "2020-02-07T20:44:57Z")
I’m happy I live within sight of the mountain with the transmission antennas on it, I put and antennae in the attic and connected it into the cable that was already there. I get 40 or so channels, but half of them are foreign language or religious. I wish there was more variety in the other then network channels. i guess the local audience likes old B&W westerns because there are 3 channels of those. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/12 "2020-02-07T20:59:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Well YoutubTV has a 2 week free trial (offer ending February 13): > [YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News](https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/) > > And Hulu with Live has a 7 day free trial: > [https://www.hulu.com/start/newhome](https://www.hulu.com/start/newhome) That’s what I came in to say. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/13 "2020-02-07T21:13:57Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > If you live in an urban area, you can see if [Locast](https://www.locast.org/) is an option. They stream over-the-air television for free (well, they accept donations). > > Edit: I haven’t tried it and was reading older articles saying you’ll get bugged for a donation while watching so maybe try it now and see if it’ll work or is a dead end option. I watched the Oscars with Locast last year. Every 15 minutes, the streaming stopped and I got the message asking me to donate. Then I would exit the app and restart it, and I’d be good for another 15 minutes. I don’t think I’m going to do that this year. I have an antenna, but all I can pick up are religious and foreign-language channels, and that Ion network that shows Blue Bloods (and similar crime-drama fare) all day. I can sorta get a Fox affiliate station but it goes away the moment I take my hand off the antenna. The “sign in with your cable provider” thing drives me nuts. If had a cable provider, why would I need to stream it on a Roku? The only exception is NBC, which offers three “credits” when you install their Roku app—but provides no way to get more once you’ve used those up. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/14 "2020-02-07T23:13:16Z")
If you’re considering an antenna, there are websites where you can enter your location and it estimates which channels you’ll get based on tower location and terrain, such as [AntennaWeb](https://www.antennaweb.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/15 "2020-02-08T01:07:07Z")
Try Puffer. It’s free, doesn’t work that well all the time, and it only gets San Francisco affiliates, but it’s better than nothing. [https://puffer.stanford.edu/](https://puffer.stanford.edu/) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/16 "2020-02-14T03:50:16Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Right. A lot of people forget or don’t know that many networks can be received with an antenna. If you have cut the cord, getting an antenna is a great way to watch shows on the major networks. There’s also a number of other sub-channels that show more oddball content like old reruns, movies, game shows and stuff like that. If you live in a major area, a simple antenna will likely work fine. If you end up watching a lot of OTA content, it’s handy to get an OTA DVR so you can watch stuff whenever you want. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Some of us remember when that was the only way to watch TV. > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Much easier said than done in some cases, including mine. I live about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, in an area surrounded by hills, and as I live in a townhouse, I can’t install a rooftop antenna (and even if I could, I don’t think it would be high enough to do any good), so I can’t get either city’s broadcast network stations with any degree of certainty, except for the San Francisco area’s NBC affiliate, which has a repeater tower closer to where I live as it is a San Jose station and has no broadcast tower in San Francisco. What **That Don Guy** said. I’ve been a cord cutter for I don’t remember how many years. Where I live now I get quite a few channels over the air even though I’m not in a large city. But for a ten years I lived in a town where during the analog days you could pick up all the major networks with a tall enough mast. After the switch to digital they lost everything, leaving a lot of houses with antennas on the roof that were useless for anything but radio. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stream-tv-thru-a-roku-box-how-can-i-watch-the-academy-awards/847593/17 "2020-02-14T17:18:23Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Doesn’t hurt to try the antenna, though. Go to your local Best Buy or even Wal Mart and pick one out. They’re like $30-50. Don’t need anything on the roof or outside (to start). Bring it home and hook it up and see if it works. If not, take it back to the store where you got it. At least now you know. > > I have a pair of rabbit ears, not even a fancy Leaf-like antenna, and I get some 30 channels OTA. As **That Don Guy** says, tho, your mileage may vary. A lot of the modern ones are amplified, so they produce better signals at longer ranges than older styles.