The annual Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, will be livestreamed globally on YouTube starting in 2029. Marking a shift from traditional big-screen broadcasts to personal digital platforms, the award ceremony will be available to viewers worldwide free of cost.
Signing a multi-year deal, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made it official with global streaming giant YouTube. 2029 will mark the 101st Academy Awards and the end of the ABC deal, with streaming rights till 2028.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a Wednesday statement the YouTube partnership would allow the Academy Awards to reach “the largest worldwide audience possible”.
“This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honouring our legacy,” the statement said.
“We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale,” it added.
The star-studded affair with the who’s who of Hollywood in attendance is the biggest night for the movie. A red carpet like no other, dazzling in couture, the Academy Awards are one of the highest honours a film can receive in its theatrical run.
Exclusive coverage of the red carpet, behind-the-scenes content, and the Governors Ball will be available live and free on YouTube, around the world.
The shift is marked by the need to make the Oscars more accessible to ‘the Academy’s growing global audience.
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ABC is still set to host the Oscars 2026 and 2027 editions, as well as the 100th anniversary ceremony in 2028. The move to YouTube will begin with the 2029 edition and run through to 2033.
The Walt Disney-owned ABC broadcast network has televised the Oscars every year since 1976. Recent years have seen ratings for the ceremony, regarded as the film industry’s most prestigious, decline as audiences move to online streaming platforms.
