The Academy Awards Will Leave ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Starting in the Year 2029.

The Oscars ceremony will begin broadcasting solely on YouTube in 2029, representing the latest substantial shift in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on this week, stating that it signed a extended contract granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been televised for a half a century on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the ceremony will be available live and for free on the digital platform.

It's a further substantial shakeup in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with severe reductions in filming.

"The Academy is an global institution, and this alliance will allow us to expand access to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership imaginable - which will be advantageous for our film artists and the film community," stated the Academy's executives in a release.

For many years, audience numbers of the televised event have declined, even if there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of youthful audiences tuning in from mobile devices and computers.

In a separate statement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "a key essential cultural touchstones" and added that working with the Academy would "inspire a younger cohort of innovation and movie fans while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied history".

The broadcast network, which has televised the ceremony since the mid-1970s, stated that it was excited "to hosting the event three more times" it will retain rights for.

This shift coincides with film industry giants face complex corporate battles. These potential deals were viewed as unfavourable for an industry that has seen drastic cuts over the recent period.

Like big production houses, traditional TV channels have struggled as the audience has chosen on-demand video instead.

YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that the dominance of digital platforms will persist increasing.