Oscars Are Moving to YouTube in 2029

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are about to make one of the biggest changes in their long history. After more than five decades on broadcast television, the Oscars are moving to YouTube starting in 2029.

Since 1976, the ceremony has aired on ABC. That relationship will continue through the Oscars’ 100th anniversary in 2028. After that, the iconic awards show will stream live around the world on YouTube. The new multi-year deal runs through 2033.

The decision reflects how audiences now watch television and entertainment. Broadcast ratings for award shows have dropped sharply over the years. More and more people are turning to digital platforms and online video. Even with recent increases, traditional TV audiences for the Oscars are a fraction of what they were during their peak in the 1990s.

For the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the YouTube partnership offers a chance to reach a much larger and more global audience. The Academy Awards press release gives the details on the switch over. The ceremony, red carpet coverage, and related events like the Oscars nominations announcement and Governors Awards will be available with multilingual audio and captions worldwide.

YouTube’s global reach could also attract new viewers. Young viewers are less likely to tune in on traditional TV but regularly watch live events and clips online. Industry insiders see this as a historic shift in how major live events are presented. The Oscars moving to YouTube brings high-profile entertainment into a platform many viewers already use daily.

Whether this change will boost overall viewership remains to be seen. I would suspect that YouTube will bring fresh ears and eyes to how the awards are presented. The Oscars are very prestigious, but if they want to increase viewership, updates and changes will need to be made.