LOS ANGELES — The 97th Academy Awards will be held March 2, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

That moves the annual ceremony up about a week. This year’s Oscars were held on March 10. The telecast, which culminated in the best picture win for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” was watched by an estimated 19.5 million people, up about 4% from the year prior.

The film academy is also sticking with an earlier start for the awards. Like this year’s show, the Oscars will kick off at 7 p.m. Eastern, an hour earlier than they have typically done. ABC will again air the Academy Awards.

The Golden Globes, after signing a new five-year deal with CBS, recently set Jan. 5 as the date for next year’s ceremony.