The Academy Awards Will Leave Broadcast TV and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence streaming exclusively on the global video platform in 2029, marking the latest substantial change in the film industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared the decision on Wednesday, confirming that it entered into a long-term agreement awarding YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The Oscars, scheduled for March 15th, has aired for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the show will be accessible live and for free on YouTube.
This is a further significant upheaval in the entertainment world, which is dealing with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, coupled with drastic production cuts.
"The Academy is an international organization, and this collaboration will permit us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership attainable - which will be advantageous for our membership and the film community," remarked organization heads in a release.
For many years, audience numbers of the ceremony have fallen, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from mobile devices and desktops.
In a related comment, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our vital cultural institutions" and added that working with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of creativity and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".
The broadcast network, which has aired the awards since the mid-1970s, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
This decision comes as major studios face complex corporate battles. Such proposals were viewed as unfavourable for an sector that has seen significant downsizing over the last few years.
Similar to major studios, traditional TV channels have struggled as the public has chosen on-demand video instead.
YouTube winning broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that dependence on digital platforms will continue to grow.
