The Academy Awards Will Leave Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin broadcasting solely on the global video platform in the year 2029, signaling the newest significant transformation in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars declared the decision on this week, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, which is planned for 15 March, has aired for 50 years on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be available live and for free on YouTube.
This is another significant restructuring in the entertainment world, which is grappling with company buyouts and fusions, along with steep slashes to movie budgets.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the film community," remarked organization heads in a announcement.
Over decades, viewership of the awards show have fallen, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a significant number of youthful audiences tuning in from mobile devices and laptops.
In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our essential cultural institutions" and noted that partnering with the Academy would "motivate a younger cohort of creativity and cinema enthusiasts while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".
The broadcast network, which has televised the ceremony since 1976, stated that it was excited "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
This decision follows large entertainment companies confront complex corporate battles. These potential deals were seen as unfavourable for an sector that has experienced significant downsizing over the last few years.
Similar to major studios, cable networks have faced issues as the audience has shifted towards on-demand video as an alternative.
YouTube winning the license to the Oscars strongly indicates that dependence on digital platforms will continue increasing.
