The Academy Awards Will Leave Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on the Video Platform Beginning in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin streaming exclusively on the global video platform in the year 2029, marking the latest major shift in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on Wednesday, confirming that it entered into a multi-year deal giving the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, which is planned for 15 March, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be viewable live and for free on the digital platform.
It's one more substantial restructuring in Hollywood, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, along with severe production cuts.
"The Academy is an global institution, and this partnership will permit us to increase availability to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience imaginable - which will be beneficial for our membership and the movie industry," stated Academy leadership in a release.
Throughout a long period, audience numbers of the televised event have dropped, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers streaming from mobile devices and computers.
In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO described the Oscars "among our vital pillars of culture" and said that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".
ABC, which has aired the ceremony since 1976, stated that it was looking forward "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will retain rights for.
This decision comes as film industry giants confront challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were seen as unfavourable for an sector that has seen significant downsizing over the recent period.
Similar to major studios, cable networks have faced issues as the audience has increasingly opted for streaming services as an alternative.
YouTube obtaining broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on digital platforms will carry on expanding.
