Oscar show dates announced for next 3 years

Fans of the Oscars awards ceremony can save the date: Academy Award organizers announced Thursday when the show will run for the next three years.

The Oscars will next be held on February 28, 2016 followed by a February 26 show in 2017 and a March 4 event in 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and US television network ABC said.

The Oscars, which are the climax of Hollywood's annual awards season and one of the most watched events on television, will be broadcast on ABC and take place in Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood.

The Academy and ABC also announced the dates for lead-up Oscars events, including the Governors Ball on November 14 and finalist announcements on January 14.

The 2015 Oscars, which averaged 36.6 million viewers and were hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, saw Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman" triumph with four of the nine Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture.