The Academy Awards Will Leave Broadcast TV and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin streaming exclusively on YouTube in the year 2029, signaling the latest major transformation in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on Wednesday, stating that it signed a extended contract giving YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, scheduled for March 15th, has been broadcast for a half a century on ABC. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be available in real-time without charge on YouTube.
It's one more major restructuring in the entertainment world, which is dealing with company buyouts and fusions, coupled with severe production cuts.
"The Academy is an global institution, and this alliance will enable us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership possible - which will be advantageous for our membership and the cinematic world," said Academy leadership in a statement.
For many years, audience numbers of the televised event have fallen, though there was a minor increase in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from smartphones and computers.
In a corresponding announcement, the video platform's chief executive called the Oscars "a key essential cultural institutions" and added that working with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of artistic expression and movie fans while adhering to the Oscars' illustrious heritage".
ABC, which has streamed the awards since the mid-1970s, commented that it was excited "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This decision comes as large entertainment companies confront challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were viewed as problematic for an business that has experienced significant downsizing over the last few years.
Like big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the audience has chosen streaming services instead.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that reliance on streaming sites will continue expanding.
