The Academy Awards to Depart Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on YouTube Starting in the Year 2029.
The Academy Awards will commence broadcasting solely on YouTube in the year 2029, marking the newest significant change in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on this week, indicating that it signed a extended contract awarding YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars through 2033.
The awards show, set for 15 March, has been televised for five decades on the traditional network. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be available as a free live stream on the digital platform.
This is one more substantial shakeup in Hollywood, which is dealing with company buyouts and fusions, coupled with steep reductions in filming.
"The Academy is an global institution, and this partnership will permit us to expand access to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be advantageous for our film artists and the film community," stated the Academy's executives in a release.
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 tuning in from mobile devices and desktops.
In a related comment, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "a key vital pillars of culture" and said that working with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of creativity and movie fans while adhering to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".
ABC, which has streamed the awards since 1976, stated that it was eagerly anticipating "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will retain rights for.
This shift follows large entertainment companies face challenging merger discussions. Both options were considered unfavourable for an business that has seen significant downsizing over the past several years.
Similar to big production houses, cable networks have encountered challenges as the viewers has increasingly opted for streaming services instead.
YouTube obtaining broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that the dominance of streaming sites will carry on to grow.
