The Oscars to Depart ABC and Broadcast Live on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence broadcasting solely on the global video platform in 2029, representing the most recent significant change in Hollywood.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The awards show, which is planned for March 15th, has been broadcast for five decades on ABC. Commencing in 2029, the event will be viewable live and for free on YouTube.
It's a further significant upheaval in Hollywood, which is grappling with company buyouts and fusions, coupled with severe slashes to movie budgets.
"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this partnership will enable us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be beneficial for our membership and the film community," stated the Academy's executives in a release.
For many years, viewership of the ceremony have fallen, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from mobile devices and laptops.
In a corresponding announcement, the video platform's chief executive described the Oscars "among our fundamental cultural institutions" and said that working with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of creativity and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' celebrated history".
The broadcast network, which has streamed the ceremony since the mid-1970s, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to hosting the event three more times" it will still host.
This shift comes as film industry giants confront complex corporate battles. Both options were seen as concerning for an industry that has seen significant downsizing over the past several years.
Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the viewers has shifted towards on-demand video instead.
YouTube winning the license to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that the dominance of digital platforms will persist increasing.
