The Oscars Are Exiting ABC and Stream on YouTube Starting in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will commence streaming exclusively on the global video platform in the year 2029, signaling the latest significant transformation in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars declared the decision on this week, indicating that it finalized a multi-year deal granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, which is planned for March 15th, has aired for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the event will be viewable as a free live stream on the digital platform.
It's one more substantial restructuring in the entertainment world, which is navigating corporate acquisitions and consolidations, in addition to severe reductions in filming.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this collaboration will permit us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the movie industry," stated the Academy's executives in a announcement.
Throughout a long period, viewership of the televised event have fallen, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a significant number of younger viewers tuning in from mobile devices and computers.
In a related comment, the video platform's chief executive described the Oscars "among our vital cultural touchstones" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of creativity and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied legacy".
ABC, which has televised the awards since 1976, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
The move comes as major studios confront challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered problematic for an business that has witnessed drastic cuts over the recent period.
In common with big production houses, cable networks have faced issues as the public has increasingly opted for digital platforms instead.
YouTube obtaining broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that the dominance of streaming sites will carry on to grow.
