The Oscars Are Exiting ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence airing only on YouTube in 2029, marking the newest major shift in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a long-term agreement giving YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The awards show, set for March 15th, has been televised for a half a century on the traditional network. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be viewable in real-time without charge on the digital platform.
This is a further significant upheaval in the entertainment world, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, coupled with steep slashes to movie budgets.
"The Academy is an international organization, and this alliance will allow us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the movie industry," said organization heads in a announcement.
Over decades, viewership of the ceremony have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a notable portion of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from cell phones and computers.
In a corresponding announcement, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "among our vital pillars of culture" and said that partnering with the Academy would "spark a younger cohort of innovation and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated history".
The broadcast network, which has aired the awards since the mid-1970s, stated that it was looking forward "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This shift comes as major studios deal with challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were seen as concerning for an business that has seen severe reductions over the last few years.
Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the public has shifted towards streaming services instead.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on digital platforms will continue increasing.
