The Academy Awards to Depart Broadcast TV and Broadcast Live on YouTube Starting in the Year 2029.
The Oscars ceremony will begin airing only on YouTube in the year 2029, marking the latest substantial transformation in Hollywood.
The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on Wednesday, confirming that it entered into a multi-year deal awarding YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars until 2033.
The Oscars, which is planned for March 15th, has aired for five decades on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the event will be viewable live and for free on the digital platform.
This is a further significant restructuring in the entertainment world, which is navigating company buyouts and fusions, in addition to severe reductions in filming.
"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this alliance will enable us to broaden reach to the mission of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be positive for our Academy members and the cinematic world," said the Academy's executives in a statement.
For many years, audience numbers of the awards show have declined, though there was a small rise in 2025, with a significant number of youthful audiences tuning in from mobile devices and computers.
In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our fundamental pillars of culture" and said that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of artistic expression and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated history".
The broadcast network, which has aired the ceremony since 1976, stated that it was eagerly anticipating "to hosting the event three more times" it will continue to air.
The move follows large entertainment companies face complex corporate battles. Both options were considered problematic for an sector that has experienced severe reductions over the recent period.
Similar to major studios, cable networks have struggled as the audience has increasingly opted for digital platforms as an alternative.
The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Oscars clearly signals that the dominance of online services will continue increasing.
