The Academy Awards Are Exiting Broadcast TV and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony are set to start airing only on the global video platform in the year 2029, marking the most recent significant transformation in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that it finalized a long-term agreement awarding YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars until 2033.
The awards show, set for March 15th, has been broadcast for a half a century on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the ceremony will be accessible live and for free on the digital platform.
This is one more substantial shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating corporate acquisitions and consolidations, coupled with steep production cuts.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this partnership will permit us to increase availability to the activities of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience imaginable - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the movie industry," said organization heads in a release.
Throughout a long period, viewership of the televised event have dropped, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers watching from cell phones and desktops.
In a separate statement, the video platform's chief executive referred to the Oscars "a key vital pillars of culture" and noted that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of creativity and cinema enthusiasts while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".
ABC, which has televised the ceremony since the mid-1970s, commented that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will continue to air.
This shift follows large entertainment companies confront complex corporate battles. These potential deals were seen as unfavourable for an sector that has witnessed drastic cuts over the past several years.
Similar to big production houses, cable networks have faced issues as the public has shifted towards on-demand video instead.
YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that reliance on online services will continue expanding.
