The Oscars to Depart Broadcast TV and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin streaming exclusively on the global video platform in the year 2029, marking the most recent significant shift in Hollywood.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on this week, stating that it signed a multi-year deal giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, which is planned for March 15th, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be viewable as a free live stream on YouTube.
This is another major upheaval in the entertainment world, which is grappling with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, along with steep slashes to movie budgets.
"The Academy is an international organization, and this collaboration will permit us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be advantageous for our membership and the film community," remarked organization heads in a announcement.
For many years, viewership of the ceremony have dropped, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from smartphones and laptops.
In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our essential cultural institutions" and noted that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of artistic expression and cinema enthusiasts while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied history".
ABC, which has televised the awards since the mid-1970s, stated that it was excited "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This shift follows large entertainment companies face challenging merger discussions. Both options were viewed as unfavourable for an industry that has experienced significant downsizing over the last few years.
Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the viewers has shifted towards digital platforms instead.
YouTube obtaining the license to the Academy Awards further suggests that the dominance of online services will persist increasing.
