🔗 Share this article

The Academy Awards will commence airing only on YouTube in 2029, marking the latest major shift in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declared the decision on Wednesday, indicating that it finalized a long-term agreement awarding the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033.

The Oscars, set for 15 March, has been broadcast for five decades on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be available as a free live stream on YouTube.

It's a further significant upheaval in Hollywood, which is dealing with company buyouts and fusions, coupled with steep slashes to movie budgets.

"The Academy is an global institution, and this partnership will enable us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be advantageous for our membership and the cinematic world," said the Academy's executives in a statement.

Throughout a long period, viewership of the ceremony have fallen, though there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a notable portion of Gen Z and millennial watchers watching from smartphones and desktops.

In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO called the Oscars "a key vital cultural institutions" and noted that working with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of creativity and movie fans while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied legacy".

ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since 1976, said that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will continue to air.

This shift follows large entertainment companies deal with complex corporate battles. Both options were viewed as unfavourable for an sector that has experienced significant downsizing over the recent period.

Like major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the public has chosen digital platforms instead.

YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on digital platforms will persist to grow.