The Academy Awards will begin streaming exclusively on YouTube starting in 2029, the biggest change in Hollywood.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it has signed a multiyear deal granting YouTube exclusive worldwide rights to the Oscars through 2033.
The Oscars, scheduled for March 15, have aired on ABC for half a century. Starting in 2029, the show will be available to watch live and free on YouTube.
This is another big change in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers along with drastic production cuts.
“The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the Academy’s works to the largest possible global audience,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a statement.
Over the decades, awards show viewership has declined, but by 2025 it will rise slightly, with more younger viewers watching on mobile phones and computers.
YouTube CEO Neil Mohan called the Oscars “one of our essential cultural institutions” in a statement and said his partnership with the Academy “will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ legendary legacy.”
ABC, which has been streaming the awards show since 1976, said it was still looking forward to the “next three broadcasts” it would host.
The move comes as Warner Bros Discovery on Wednesday recommended shareholders reject Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid over a rival bid from streaming giant Netflix.
Both options were seen as unfavorable for an industry that has suffered steep cutbacks over the past few years. Like the major studios, cable networks have faced problems as the public chooses streaming services instead.
YouTube’s acquisition of the rights to the Academy Awards suggests that reliance on streaming sites will continue.
