The Academy Awards Will Leave ABC and Stream on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, representing the latest significant shift in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal awarding YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars through 2033.
The Oscars, which is planned for 15 March, has been televised for a half a century on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be viewable live and for free on YouTube.
It's one more significant shakeup in the entertainment world, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with drastic reductions in filming.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this alliance will allow us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be positive for our Academy members and the movie industry," said Academy leadership in a release.
Throughout a long period, audience numbers of the ceremony have fallen, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from smartphones and laptops.
In a related comment, YouTube's CEO called the Oscars "one of our essential cultural institutions" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of innovation and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' storied heritage".
The broadcast network, which has streamed the awards since the mid-1970s, commented that it was excited "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
This shift follows film industry giants face challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered unfavourable for an sector that has witnessed severe reductions over the past several years.
In common with major studios, cable networks have struggled as the public has shifted towards streaming services instead.
YouTube obtaining the license to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that the dominance of digital platforms will carry on increasing.
