For the first time in the history of the Oscars, it will be streamed live online. This was announced by ABC last Sunday. However, not everyone will be able to watch the show live. The live stream will only be made accessible to the subscribers of selected cable companies in eight different cities. Among the cable companies picked to host the show are Comcast, Verizon FIOS, Google Fiber, Midcontinent, Charter Communications, AT&T Universe, and Midcontinent Communications. The selected cities include San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Houston, Fresno and Raleigh-Durham.

Subscribers of those cable networks at those locations will be able to watch the show live on ABC's app, which is available for download using Google Play, iTunes App Store and the Amazon Appstore. Browsers can also be used to watch the show through Oscar.com, ABC.com and WatchABS.com. Despite the fact that this is great news for the selected networks and cities, it has left out some bigger cable companies such as Time Warner, which has a huge subscriber base in LA and NY.

The competition is now heating up as the awards night is fast approaching. For the Best Picture category, it is expected to just be between 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, with American Hustle expected to pull an upset. For the Best Director award, Alfonso Cuarón of Gravity is said to be the obvious frontrunner. Cate Blanchett is expected to win the Best Actress award for her portrayal in Blue Jasmine. She has also won all other pre-Oscars awards including SAG, Critics' Choice and Golden Globes. For the best Actor award, Matthew McConaughey is set to win the award for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. However, recently Leonardo DiCaprio has been catching up and could pull a surprise to finally win his first Oscar. He has been denied the chance several times in the past and this could be his year.

Ellen DeGeneres will host the show for the second time.