Bell Media last fall launched its CTV GO mobile app for smartphones and tablets, to allow users to see CTV and CTV Two on-the-go.

Now the media group is set to unlock the CTV GO app on Sunday night so Canadians can watch tuxedo-ed Hollywood walk the red carpet and battle for gold-plated statuettes at the Academy Awards on their mobile platforms.

“It’s a big opportunity… to expose CTV GO to new customers and allow them to sample just how terrific it is,” Mike Cosentino, SVP of programming at CTV Networks, told Playback Daily.

Of course, the market penetration for CTV GO depends heavily on its viewer authentication strategy, in which live streaming is only offered to customers that can prove they have paid access to a cable package.

And here Bell Media has a job to do lining up additional TV service providers beyond Bell Canada, including major carriers like Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, to allow users to watch live CTV and CTV Two shows over mobile phone and Wi Fi networks.

And the Oscars is being put to use by CTV to let Canadians know what they’re missing by not being able to use its mobile app.

“It’s an ecosystem play, with us as a broadcaster reaching out to consumers and saying, your relationship with your BDU is important to us, and we recognize your appetite to take TV everywhere,” Cosentino explained. “It’s about getting out in front of as many people as possible.”