The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on YouTube in 2029, representing the newest significant shift in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on this week, indicating that it entered into a extended contract awarding the streaming service the exclusive global rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The awards show, which is planned for 15 March, has been broadcast for 50 years on the traditional network. Starting in 2029, the show will be accessible in real-time without charge on the digital platform.
It's a further major shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating company buyouts and fusions, in addition to severe slashes to movie budgets.
"Our Academy represents an worldwide body, and this partnership will allow us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be positive for our film artists and the movie industry," stated organization heads in a release.
Over decades, viewership of the awards show have declined, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a notable portion of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from mobile devices and computers.
In a separate statement, the video platform's chief executive referred to the Oscars "a key essential pillars of culture" and said that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars' illustrious history".
The broadcast network, which has televised the ceremony since the mid-1970s, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will still host.
This decision comes as film industry giants confront challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered problematic for an sector that has experienced drastic cuts over the recent period.
In common with big production houses, cable networks have encountered challenges as the viewers has shifted towards on-demand video as an alternative.
YouTube winning the license to the Academy Awards clearly signals that the dominance of digital platforms will persist expanding.
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