The Academy Awards Are Exiting Broadcast TV and Stream on YouTube Starting in the Year 2029.
The Academy Awards are set to start broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, marking the latest substantial change in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on this week, indicating that it signed a multi-year deal giving YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The Oscars, scheduled for March 15th, has been televised for 50 years on the traditional network. Beginning in 2029, the show will be available live and for free on YouTube.
This is another major shakeup in the entertainment world, which is grappling with company buyouts and fusions, along with steep production cuts.
"The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will permit us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be beneficial for our membership and the film community," remarked the Academy's executives in a announcement.
For many years, viewership of the awards show have declined, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from smartphones and computers.
In a related comment, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "one of our fundamental pillars of culture" and noted that working with the Academy would "spark a new generation of artistic expression and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".
ABC, which has televised the ceremony since the mid-1970s, stated that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will retain rights for.
This shift follows film industry giants deal with complex corporate battles. These potential deals were considered problematic for an business that has seen significant downsizing over the recent period.
Like big production houses, cable networks have encountered challenges as the viewers has chosen on-demand video instead.
YouTube winning the license to the Oscars further suggests that dependence on streaming sites will continue increasing.