Read on bbc.comThe Oscars' Historic Move: From ABC to YouTube in 2029
In a landmark shift for Hollywood, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the Oscars will leave its broadcast home of over 50 years, ABC, and begin streaming exclusively on YouTube starting in 2029. This multi-year deal grants YouTube exclusive global rights to the awards ceremony until 2033, marking a significant pivot toward digital-first distribution. The move reflects broader industry trends of declining traditional broadcast viewership and the rising dominance of streaming platforms, as Hollywood continues to navigate studio mergers, production cuts, and evolving audience habits.
The landscape of Hollywood's most prestigious night is set for a historic transformation. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a seismic shift: beginning in 2029, the Oscars will leave the ABC television network, its broadcast home for more than half a century, and will stream exclusively on YouTube. This multi-year partnership represents one of the most significant distribution changes in the award show's long history and underscores the accelerating digital evolution of the entertainment industry.
The Announcement and Deal Details
The Academy made the official announcement on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. The deal grants YouTube the exclusive global rights to broadcast the Oscars from 2029 through 2033. The show, planned for March 15, 2029, will be available live and for free on the YouTube platform. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor stated that the partnership aligns with their international mission, aiming to "expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible." They emphasized this move would benefit Academy members and the global film community by leveraging YouTube's massive, borderless reach.
End of an Era for ABC
This decision concludes a broadcast relationship that began in 1976. For over 50 years, ABC served as the traditional television home for the Oscars, embedding the ceremony into American broadcast culture. In response to the announcement, ABC acknowledged the change while expressing its commitment to the upcoming telecasts it will still host before the transition. The network stated it was "looking forward to the next three telecasts," indicating the shift will commence after the 2028 ceremony.
Drivers Behind the Digital Shift
The move to YouTube is not an isolated decision but a strategic response to powerful industry currents. A primary driver is the decades-long decline in traditional television viewership for award shows, including the Oscars. While reports noted a slight uptick in viewership in 2025, attributed in part to younger audiences watching on mobile devices and computers, the overall trend has pushed broadcasters and content owners toward digital platforms. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan hailed the Oscars as "one of our essential cultural institutions" and framed the partnership as a way to "inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers." The shift acknowledges that the future audience is digital-first.
Broader Hollywood Context
This Oscars deal is a prominent symptom of the larger upheaval gripping Hollywood. The industry is concurrently grappling with studio sales, mergers, and significant production cuts. On the same day as the Oscars announcement, Warner Bros Discovery was advising its shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid, a situation described as turning "Hollywood upside down." Traditional cable networks and major studios face existential challenges as public preference solidly shifts toward streaming services. YouTube securing the rights to a tentpole event like the Oscars powerfully signals that the industry's reliance on streaming platforms is not a temporary phase but the established new normal.
Implications for the Future
The exclusive move to YouTube sets a precedent for other major live events and could accelerate the fragmentation of content distribution. It promises global, free, and immediate access, potentially broadening the Oscars' international audience. However, it also moves the ceremony from a singular broadcast event to one competing within the vast, attention-divided ecosystem of a digital platform. The success of this partnership will be closely watched by the entire industry as a case study in migrating legacy cultural institutions to the digital age.
In conclusion, the Oscars' departure from ABC for YouTube is a definitive milestone in Hollywood's digital transformation. It reflects strategic adaptation to changing viewer habits, leverages the global scale of streaming, and occurs amidst a backdrop of profound industry consolidation and change. As the Academy prepares for its final broadcasts on ABC, the entertainment world is looking ahead to 2029, when the Oscars will attempt to write its next chapter not on television, but on the world's largest video platform.
