The Academy Awards Will Leave ABC and Broadcast Live on the Video Platform Beginning in the Year 2029.
The Academy Awards are set to start streaming exclusively on YouTube in 2029, signaling the newest substantial shift in Hollywood.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the news on Wednesday, confirming that it finalized a multi-year deal giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has aired for five decades on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be accessible as a free live stream on YouTube.
It's a further substantial restructuring in the entertainment world, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, coupled with severe reductions in filming.
"The Academy is an international organization, and this collaboration will enable us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the movie industry," said the Academy's executives in a release.
For many years, viewership of the awards show have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of younger viewers streaming from cell phones and laptops.
In a separate statement, the video platform's chief executive called the Oscars "one of our vital cultural touchstones" and added that teaming up with the Academy would "spark a fresh wave of innovation and cinema enthusiasts while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied history".
ABC, which has aired the awards since 1976, stated that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
This decision comes as major studios deal with intricate takeover attempts. Both options were seen as concerning for an industry that has witnessed significant downsizing over the past several years.
Similar to major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the audience has increasingly opted for streaming services as an alternative.
YouTube winning broadcasting rights to the Oscars further suggests that reliance on digital platforms will persist expanding.
