The Academy Awards Are Exiting ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.
The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on the global video platform in 2029, representing the latest substantial transformation in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on this week, indicating that it finalized a long-term agreement granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The Oscars, set for March 15th, has aired for five decades on the traditional network. Beginning in 2029, the show will be viewable as a free live stream on the digital platform.
It's a further significant restructuring in Hollywood, which is dealing with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, along with steep slashes to movie budgets.
"The Academy is an global institution, and this alliance will allow us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be positive for our film artists and the film community," said Academy leadership in a statement.
For many years, viewership of the awards show have declined, even if there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers watching from cell phones and computers.
In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO described the Oscars "a key essential pillars of culture" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of creativity and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".
ABC, which has streamed the awards since 1976, stated that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will continue to air.
The move comes as large entertainment companies deal with complex corporate battles. Such proposals were seen as unfavourable for an industry that has witnessed severe reductions over the past several years.
In common with major studios, cable networks have struggled as the audience has increasingly opted for on-demand video as an alternative.
YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that reliance on online services will persist to grow.
