The Academy Awards Will Leave Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on YouTube Beginning in 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin airing only on the global video platform in the year 2029, marking the most recent substantial change in the film industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared the decision on Wednesday, confirming that it entered into a extended contract giving YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars up to 2033.
The awards show, scheduled for 15 March, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the event will be accessible as a free live stream on YouTube.
This is a further substantial upheaval in the entertainment world, which is grappling with studio sales and mergers, coupled with drastic slashes to movie budgets.
"Our Academy represents an worldwide body, and this partnership will permit us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the film community," stated Academy leadership in a statement.
Over decades, viewership of the televised event have fallen, though there was a minor increase in 2025, with a significant number of younger viewers watching from cell phones and desktops.
In a related comment, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "a key essential cultural institutions" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "spark a younger cohort of artistic expression and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' illustrious history".
The broadcast network, which has televised the awards since 1976, commented that it was eagerly anticipating "to hosting the event three more times" it will still host.
This shift comes as film industry giants deal with intricate takeover attempts. Such proposals were seen as problematic for an business that has witnessed drastic cuts over the recent period.
Like big production houses, traditional TV channels have faced issues as the public has shifted towards on-demand video as an alternative.
YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on online services will carry on expanding.
