Starting in 2029, the Oscars, the film industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony, will stream exclusively on YouTube under a newly signed multi-year agreement that runs through 2033.
ABC will continue to broadcast the ceremony through 2028, closing out its tenure with the 100th Academy Awards.
Once the deal takes effect, the Oscars will no longer air on traditional U.S. network television. Instead, viewers around the world will be able to watch the ceremony live and free on YouTube.
The streaming platform will also host a wide range of official Academy programming, including red carpet coverage, nominations announcements, the Governors Awards, Student Academy Awards, and selected content from the Academy Museum.
In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor said the partnership reflects the Academy’s global identity and its goal to reach audiences beyond the limits of linear television.
They explained that the collaboration will leverage YouTube’s reach and provide innovative ways to engage audiences, while still honoring the Oscars’ legacy. “We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers, and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale,” they said.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan added that the partnership will connect viewers worldwide and inspire a new generation of film lovers, while remaining true to the Oscars’ storied history.
The deal reportedly involved a nine-figure commitment from YouTube, surpassing competing offers from Disney/ABC and NBCUniversal. The Academy had been seeking a new broadcast partner for nearly a year.
The move comes amid declining viewership for the Oscars on network television. Recent ceremonies have struggled to reach the audience numbers of past decades. For context, the 1998 Oscars, dominated by Titanic, drew about 57 million viewers, a milestone that has become increasingly difficult to achieve in today’s fragmented media landscape.
First televised in 1953, the Oscars alternated between NBC and ABC before settling permanently on ABC in 1976. This latest change reflects the industry’s growing embrace of streaming as the primary way audiences consume content.