🔗 Share this article

The Oscars ceremony are set to start airing only on YouTube in 2029, representing the most recent major shift in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars declared the decision on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.

The Oscars, set for March 15th, has aired for a half a century on ABC. Commencing in 2029, the show will be viewable in real-time without charge on YouTube.

It's one more significant upheaval in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with steep slashes to movie budgets.

"The Academy is an international organization, and this alliance will allow us to broaden reach to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership attainable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the cinematic world," stated Academy leadership in a announcement.

For many years, ratings of the ceremony have declined, even if there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers streaming from mobile devices and laptops.

In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our essential cultural institutions" and added that partnering with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of artistic expression and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' illustrious heritage".

ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since the mid-1970s, stated that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will retain rights for.

The move coincides with major studios confront challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were seen as problematic for an sector that has experienced severe reductions over the recent period.

Similar to major studios, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the public has shifted towards streaming services as an alternative.

YouTube obtaining rights to the Academy Awards further suggests that dependence on online services will persist to grow.