The Oscars Are Exiting Broadcast TV and Stream on the Video Platform Beginning in 2029.
The Academy Awards will commence airing only on the global video platform in the year 2029, signaling the most recent significant change in Hollywood.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the news on Wednesday, indicating that it signed a multi-year deal giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, set for March 15th, has aired for five decades on ABC. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be accessible in real-time without charge on the digital platform.
It's another significant restructuring in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with drastic slashes to movie budgets.
"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this partnership will permit us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be positive for our membership and the movie industry," said the Academy's executives in a statement.
For many years, ratings of the televised event have fallen, even if there was a minor increase in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers watching from mobile devices and desktops.
In a related comment, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "one of our vital pillars of culture" and said that teaming up with the Academy would "spark a fresh wave of artistic expression and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied history".
ABC, which has aired the ceremony since 1976, commented that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will retain rights for.
This decision coincides with film industry giants deal with challenging merger discussions. Both options were considered unfavourable for an sector that has seen severe reductions over the last few years.
Like major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the public has increasingly opted for digital platforms instead.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Oscars strongly indicates that reliance on streaming sites will continue expanding.
