🔗 Share this article

The Academy Awards will begin streaming exclusively on YouTube in the year 2029, representing the latest substantial change in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared the decision on this week, indicating that it signed a extended contract giving the streaming service the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars until 2033.

The Oscars, scheduled for March 15th, has been televised for five decades on ABC. Starting in 2029, the ceremony will be accessible in real-time without charge on YouTube.

It's a further major upheaval in the entertainment world, which is grappling with corporate acquisitions and consolidations, in addition to drastic reductions in filming.

"The Academy is an international organization, and this alliance will permit us to expand access to the mission of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the film community," said organization heads in a release.

Over decades, audience numbers of the awards show have declined, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a notable portion of younger viewers tuning in from smartphones and laptops.

In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO called the Oscars "a key vital cultural institutions" and added that working with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of innovation and cinema enthusiasts while adhering to the Oscars' illustrious history".

ABC, which has aired the awards since 1976, said that it was excited "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.

This decision comes as major studios confront complex corporate battles. Such proposals were seen as concerning for an industry that has experienced drastic cuts over the past several years.

Like major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the viewers has chosen on-demand video as an alternative.

YouTube obtaining broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on streaming sites will persist to grow.