IT General

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 Oscars for free on 7Plus, RTÉ Player, or ITVX. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Yes, the Oscars are almost here. It’s time for the film industry to come together to congratulate itself. Expect stunning gowns, polite clapping, fake smiles, and chaotic acceptance speeches. The group chat is going to come alive for one night only.

Whether you're interested in the red carpet looks, the musical numbers, the award winners, or the sweet unpredictability of live television, you can watch this special event without spending anything. So clear your schedule and invite your sassiest friends. There's always something from this night that causes a huge stir, and we wouldn't want you to miss out on the drama.

If you want to watch the 2026 Oscars for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What are the Oscars?

The Academy Awards (the Oscars) are the awards for artistic and technical merit in film. The Oscars are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry.

When are the 2026 Oscars?

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. ET on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Comedian Conan O'Brien is set to host the show for the second consecutive time in 2026.

How to watch the 2026 Oscars for free

The 2026 Oscars are available to live stream for free on a number of platforms:

• Australia — 7Plus

• Ireland — RTÉ Player

• UK — ITVX

Mashable’s covering all things Oscars 2026, from Academy Awards live updates to red carpet style and the wildest moments from the show. Check back at Mashable.com through the night for winners announcements and more.

These streaming platforms are geo-restricted, but anyone can access for free with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 Oscars from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit 7Plus, RTÉ Player, or ITVX

5. Live stream the 2026 Oscars for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2026 Oscars before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Oscars?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to access free live streams, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch the 2026 Oscars from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Score 100TB of Internxt lifetime cloud storage for just $974.97 (MSRP $9,900) before March 31 and never worry about running out of space again.

Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 100TB $974.97
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100TB of cloud storage might sound like overkill for most of us, but if you’re a photographer juggling client libraries, a video producer managing terabytes of raw footage, a media agency storing creative assets, or a research lab with mountains of data, suddenly it’s not just reasonable — it’s essential.

Internxt makes storing that much data private, easy, and worry-free. And right now, you can get a 100TB Internxt Cloud Storage lifetime subscription for just $974.97 (MSRP $9,900) if you act before March 31.

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Internxt isn’t your average cloud service. It’s open-source, zero-knowledge, and post-quantum encrypted, which means only you can access your files, and hackers don’t stand a chance. You can store, share, and sync files across any device — Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or web browser — without sacrificing speed or control. The interface is clean, intuitive, and built for people who need to manage massive amounts of data without wrestling with complex menus. From secure client projects to massive photo archives or research datasets, Internxt lets you keep everything organized, private, and accessible from anywhere.

Plus, it’s built for collaboration at scale. Unlimited devices mean teams can access shared resources without juggling multiple accounts. Post-quantum encryption and GDPR compliance keep your data protected long-term, and updates are included for life. It’s a security and privacy solution that actually makes sense for professionals, not just hobbyists.

If you’re ready to take control of your data, store it safely, and skip subscription fees forever, grab a lifetime subscription to Internxt Cloud Storage for $974.97 until March 31 and enjoy 100TB of encrypted, private, and completely manageable storage for life.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The Lincoln Navigator, one of the early originals in the full-size luxury SUV category, is entering a new era. Nearly three decades after helping establish the segment alongside the Cadillac Escalade, the 2026 Navigator is showing off a bold new exterior, a capable powertrain, and a tech-forward interior that Lincoln is positioning as a "sanctuary on wheels."

This week's Saturday Night Live cold open sticks to the formula that's been working all season — James Austin Johnson's uncanny Trump impression anchoring a tour through the latest week of governmental chaos. The Cold Open starts with a family stranded at a gas station, forced to make the grim calculation of which kid gets left behind after gas prices blow past $5 a gallon in the wake of the Iran war.

Then the family freezes, and Trump appears with this week's unhinged stream of consciousness. The sketch breaks the fourth wall just enough, with a nod to that night's host, Harry Styles, and a sharp dig at Marcello Hernandez's well-established role as the show's perpetual child actor.

"He's SNL's little chihuahua," Johnson's Trump declares. "That sounds racist, and it is."

Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth also makes an appearance, randomly tumbling out of the back of the family's Chevy Impala wearing shoes several sizes too big — a gift from Trump that he's apparently obsessed with.

Modern NVMe SSDs are insanely fast. They can move tens of gigabytes of data in minutes, but all that speed comes at a cost: heat. Adding a heatsink is an excellent way to protect a fast NVMe from overheating, but you don’t need to go overboard by getting a model with a tiny cooling fan.

Siri's development over the years has been less than stellar, especially compared to competing voice assistants from Google and Amazon, but if the rumors are true, work on the new Siri update is so much of a hassle that Apple is delaying the release of its next-generation Apple Home products.

Last year, notorious Apple scooper Mark Gurman told Bloomberg that the Cupertino-based tech giant had been working on a slew of new home products, including long-overdue updates to their HomePod and HomePod Mini, indoor security cameras, and even a tabletop robot with a motorized arm, all to be controlled by the sound of your voice.

SEE ALSO: Apple reveals celebration plans for its 50th birthday

This aggressive foray into the smart home market was originally slated to launch last year, but was delayed until spring of 2026. Another, more recent report from Gurman has highlighted the growing disconnect between Apple's hardware and software divisions as the main cause of another delay.

At the center of this recent report is a smart home display/hub that Apple hoped to compete with Amazon's Echo Show. Reportedly, the device was to lean heavily on artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to deliver tailored information to every new person who approached it: homework assignments for the kids, for example, and upcoming meetings for the parents. But with Siri's development behind expectations, these new smart home devices are being further delayed, most likely until September, when the next generation iPhone lineup is set to launch alongside a much-improved Siri assistant. 

Apple fans eager to give their homes a smart upgrade will have to wait a few more months, but with so many products releasing simultaneously this fall, even more pressure will be placed on Apple's command of artificial intelligence across its product ecosystem, making September a momentous month for the company.

Are you thinking about starting a Plex server soon? While the initial setup of Plex is easy, there are definitely some nuances I wish I knew about at the beginning. That’s why I made this list: to keep you from making the same mistakes I did.

In a bizarre inversion of recent trends, human actors have managed to steal work from artificial intelligence. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz recently, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund revealed that the studio had replaced AI-generated dialogue with human voices in their successful ARC Raiders game, albeit only after the successful October launch.

The decision came down to quality, with Söderlund ultimately admitting that the professional voice actors still offer something that artificial intelligence cannot: "There is a quality difference. A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is."

SEE ALSO: 'Arc Raiders' issues widespread penalties for alleged cheaters

Despite the game's remarkable success on Steam, with 14 million sales in February and more than 6 million weekly active users, critics have balked at the game's clunky use of text-to-speech, claiming that it harms immersion in the otherwise compelling story and world. As proof that the studio is sensitive to criticism and still eager to improve their already-launched product, the developers have identified key sections of dialogue to be "upgraded" by paid voice actors. As of now, however, there are no plans to replace all AI-generated voice content with human actors. 

Embark Studios also emphasized that, while some artificial intelligence was used in the dialogue, no generative AI was used in creating the game's striking, much-praised visuals. 

While critics of AI are quick to point out the human cost in terms of jobs lost or the damage to artistic integrity when AI trespasses into the realms of the human imagination, proponents point to the incredible cost-saving benefits of artificial intelligence, which may ultimately give more creative power to cash-strapped individuals rather than corporations. 

For now, however, expected more heated debates on the virtues and vices of AI as its use continues to accelerate in the gaming industry.

Wi-Fi routers are often treated as plug-and-play appliances. For most people, the setup process begins and ends with plugging in the power cable and, if they're feeling adventurous, setting a custom network name and password.

Bad news for the more than 180 million Americans signed up for Amazon Prime: the service is revamping its membership structure and locking 4K video streaming behind a higher-cost tier, charging customers an additional $4.99 per month to unlock the highest-resolution experience.

Prior to the change, regular Prime members paying either $14.99 per month or $139 per year could stream in 1080p HD or 4K/UHD, while customers eager to stream ad-free could pay an additional $3 per month. Now, however, the basic Prime Video package restricts users to 1080p streams, while the ad-free experience is being upgraded and rebranded as "Ultra."

SEE ALSO: Alexa+ is now available to everyone in the US, and free for Prime members

To further entice customers to upgrade their subscription, Amazon is throwing in additional perks for Ultra members, including an increased download capacity for offline viewing (from 25 to 100), support for Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision picture, and an increase in the number of concurrent streams from a single account, from three to five.

It isn't all bad news for basic Prime members, though: they will also gain access to Dolby Vision support, as well as an increase in the number of concurrent streams they can access from a single account, from three to four.

It's also worth noting that true 4K streaming is still a tall order for most customers, either because they lack the bandwidth or because their streaming device, especially on smartphones and tablets, doesn't support true 4K UHD resolution. 

For those Amazon customers who rely on Prime Video for their home theater, though, the Ultra upgrade should be mandatory.

For three decades, the Subaru Outback has occupied a unique corner of the automotive world, carving out a niche that sits comfortably between a family wagon and a mountain-climbing SUV. With over three million sold since its debut, the Outback has become the literal and figurative utility player of the Subaru lineup.

DIMM SSDs are one of those oddities that almost look fake at a glance if you're not familiar with them. They take up a RAM slot, but depending on the design, they might behave like a normal SATA SSD or a persistent memory module that sits much closer to DRAM than a conventional drive does.

Fans of Milwaukee and those red power tools know that the company actually makes a little bit of everything. Milwaukee is wildly popular thanks to its capable tools, specialty offerings, and a steady flow of new tools each year. You probably own the basics, but here are a few niche Milwaukee tools you might actually want, along with what they're used for.

Every other month a new Linux vulnerability appears in the news and a CVE number starts circulating. If you use Linux, the reaction is predictable: "Am I vulnerable?" Before assuming the worst, take five minutes and actually check whether your PC is affected.

PC gamers love keeping an eye on their CPU, GPU, and other resource usage and temperatures during intense gaming sessions. While a secondary monitor can handle this easily, I prefer to turn mine off completely so it doesn’t distract me while I game.

Home Assistant is a free and open-source smart home platform that operates entirely on a device on your local network, making it the go-to recommendation for any smart home enthusiast that's concerned about privacy—but there are many other reasons to choose a local smart home hub that isn't operating in the cloud.

Windows 11, Microsoft's newest operating system, got people excited at first because of its fresh look and modern features. However, as the software has been around longer, a clear trend of unfriendly design choices, really pushy ways to make money, and a plain lack of concern for your privacy have emerged. This growing list of unnecessary features shows the worst examples of how Microsoft is making the experience worse just to benefit its own corporate interests.

While March is heating up on HBO Max with several noteworthy new shows and movies, it’s also time to say goodbye to everything leaving the platform this month. Though most of the titles leaving are movies, there are some documentaries and shows in there that you’ll definitely want to see.

While we wait eagerly for some of the new upcoming series coming to Apple TV, including new seasons of For All Mankind (March 27), Your Friends and Neighbors (April 3), and Criminal Record (April 22), there are some solid shows to while away the weeks.

I grew up using Windows and laptops. Now, both of those feel like things of the past. While I can't say for sure that I'm done with laptops, if I do get another one someday, I know it won't come with Windows.