The Oscars Are Exiting ABC and Broadcast Live on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence streaming exclusively on the global video platform in 2029, signaling the latest substantial change in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, indicating that it finalized a extended contract giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, which is planned for March 15th, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the ceremony will be accessible in real-time without charge on YouTube.
It's one more major restructuring in Hollywood, which is grappling with studio sales and mergers, coupled with drastic production cuts.
"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this alliance will enable us to expand access to the mission of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd possible - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the cinematic world," said organization heads in a release.
Over decades, viewership of the ceremony have dropped, though there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of youthful audiences tuning in from mobile devices and laptops.
In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO described the Oscars "among our fundamental cultural institutions" and noted that working with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of creativity and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".
ABC, which has streamed the awards since the mid-1970s, said that it was looking forward "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This decision coincides with large entertainment companies deal with intricate takeover attempts. These potential deals were considered concerning for an business that has seen drastic cuts over the past several years.
Like big production houses, cable networks have struggled as the audience has chosen on-demand video instead.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Oscars strongly indicates that the dominance of online services will continue expanding.