The Oscars Are Exiting ABC and Stream on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Academy Awards will begin airing only on YouTube in 2029, representing the latest significant shift in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that it finalized a extended contract giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033.
The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been broadcast for a half a century on ABC. Commencing in 2029, the show will be accessible as a free live stream on YouTube.
This is a further significant upheaval in the entertainment world, which is grappling with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, coupled with drastic reductions in filming.
"The Academy is an global institution, and this partnership will enable us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the cinematic world," remarked Academy leadership in a release.
Throughout a long period, viewership of the televised event have declined, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers tuning in from cell phones and laptops.
In a related comment, the video platform's chief executive called the Oscars "among our essential cultural touchstones" and said that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a new generation of creativity and cinema enthusiasts while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated history".
The broadcast network, which has streamed the ceremony since 1976, stated that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will continue to air.
The move coincides with film industry giants deal with challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered unfavourable for an industry that has witnessed significant downsizing over the last few years.
Similar to big production houses, cable networks have encountered challenges as the audience has chosen streaming services instead.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on streaming sites will continue to grow.
