The Academy Awards will commence broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, marking the newest major transformation in the film industry.
The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting the streaming service the exclusive global rights to the Oscars until 2033.
The awards show, set for March 15th, has aired for five decades on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the event will be available as a free live stream on the digital platform.
This is another major shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, in addition to drastic slashes to movie budgets.
"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this collaboration will permit us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership attainable - which will be positive for our film artists and the cinematic world," said organization heads in a announcement.
Throughout a long period, ratings of the televised event have fallen, although there was a minor increase in 2025, with a considerable amount of youthful audiences streaming from smartphones and desktops.
In a separate statement, the video platform's chief executive described the Oscars "a key fundamental cultural touchstones" and said that working with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of creativity and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' storied heritage".
The broadcast network, which has streamed the awards since the mid-1970s, commented that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.
This shift comes as major studios confront complex corporate battles. These potential deals were seen as problematic for an business that has witnessed significant downsizing over the past several years.
Like major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the public has increasingly opted for streaming services instead.
The platform securing the license to the Oscars strongly indicates that dependence on digital platforms will persist increasing.
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