🔗 Share this article

The Oscars ceremony will begin airing only on the global video platform in 2029, signaling the latest substantial change in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on this week, confirming that it finalized a extended contract granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been broadcast for five decades on ABC. Commencing in 2029, the show will be viewable live and for free on the digital platform.

It's another significant restructuring in Hollywood, which is grappling with studio sales and mergers, along with drastic production cuts.

"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this collaboration will enable us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be advantageous for our film artists and the cinematic world," remarked the Academy's executives in a announcement.

Throughout a long period, viewership of the awards show have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers tuning in from mobile devices and desktops.

In a related comment, the head of YouTube called the Oscars "one of our fundamental cultural institutions" and added that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of innovation and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' celebrated history".

The broadcast network, which has aired the awards since the mid-1970s, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.

This shift coincides with large entertainment companies deal with challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were viewed as problematic for an sector that has witnessed significant downsizing over the last few years.

In common with major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the audience has increasingly opted for streaming services as an alternative.

YouTube winning broadcasting rights to the Oscars further suggests that dependence on streaming sites will carry on expanding.