The Oscars Are Exiting Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on YouTube Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, representing the latest substantial shift in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars through 2033.
The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been televised for five decades on the traditional network. Beginning in 2029, the ceremony will be available live and for free on the digital platform.
This is one more significant upheaval in the entertainment world, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, coupled with drastic production cuts.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this alliance will permit us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd imaginable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the cinematic world," said the Academy's executives in a announcement.
Throughout a long period, viewership of the televised event have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from smartphones and desktops.
In a corresponding announcement, the video platform's chief executive called the Oscars "a key essential cultural institutions" and said that teaming up with the Academy would "motivate a fresh wave of creativity and movie fans while adhering to the Oscars' storied legacy".
The broadcast network, which has streamed the awards since 1976, stated that it was excited "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This shift comes as film industry giants deal with complex corporate battles. Both options were viewed as unfavourable for an industry that has seen severe reductions over the last few years.
In common with big production houses, cable networks have encountered challenges as the public has increasingly opted for streaming services instead.
The platform securing the license to the Oscars strongly indicates that dependence on digital platforms will carry on to grow.
