The Academy Awards to Depart ABC and Broadcast Live on YouTube Beginning in the Year 2029.
The Academy Awards will begin broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, signaling the newest major shift in the film industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared the decision on Wednesday, indicating that it finalized a multi-year deal granting YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, which is planned for March 15th, has been televised for a half a century on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be accessible as a free live stream on YouTube.
It's one more substantial shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating corporate acquisitions and consolidations, in addition to steep reductions in filming.
"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this collaboration will enable us to increase availability to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be positive for our Academy members and the film community," stated the Academy's executives in a announcement.
Throughout a long period, ratings of the televised event have dropped, though there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of youthful audiences tuning in from cell phones and desktops.
In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "among our vital cultural institutions" and noted that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of innovation and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied heritage".
ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since the mid-1970s, commented that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
The move coincides with film industry giants confront complex corporate battles. Both options were considered problematic for an industry that has seen drastic cuts over the recent period.
Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have struggled as the public has shifted towards on-demand video as an alternative.
The platform securing the license to the Oscars strongly indicates that reliance on online services will persist expanding.
