The Academy Awards Will Leave ABC and Stream on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence airing only on the global video platform in 2029, marking the latest substantial change in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars declared the decision on this week, stating that it entered into a extended contract granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, set for 15 March, has been broadcast for a half a century on ABC. Commencing in 2029, the event will be available as a free live stream on YouTube.
This is a further significant shakeup in Hollywood, which is grappling with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, coupled with steep production cuts.
"Our Academy represents an worldwide body, and this collaboration will enable us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be positive for our Academy members and the film community," remarked the Academy's executives in a statement.
Throughout a long period, viewership of the televised event have fallen, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of younger viewers streaming from mobile devices and laptops.
In a related comment, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "one of our essential cultural touchstones" and said that partnering with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of innovation and movie fans while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied legacy".
ABC, which has aired the ceremony since the mid-1970s, said that it was looking forward "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will retain rights for.
The move coincides with large entertainment companies deal with intricate takeover attempts. Both options were viewed as unfavourable for an industry that has seen significant downsizing over the past several years.
Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have faced issues as the public has increasingly opted for on-demand video instead.
YouTube obtaining the license to the Oscars strongly indicates that dependence on online services will carry on expanding.
