Highlights:
- YouTube wins exclusive global rights to stream the Oscars from 2029
- ABC era ends after more than 60 years as viewing moves off US broadcast TV
- The YouTube Oscars deal runs from 2029 to 2033, starting with the 101st ceremony
- Ceremony, red carpet and Academy events will stream free to a global audience
- The move follows a long slide in TV ratings and a push for younger online viewers
YouTube Oscars streaming rights are now confirmed, and the Academy has ended a major chapter in broadcast television. The awards, long tied to ABC in the United States, will move to a full streaming model from 2029. The announcement landed on Wednesday from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which said the YouTube agreement covers the 101st Oscars through to 2033.
ABC keeps the show until 2028. After that, viewers worldwide will be able to watch live and free on YouTube, while US subscribers can also access the YouTube TV feed. The Academy did not reveal financial terms. Still, the change marks one of the biggest shifts yet as film awards chase younger, digital-first viewers.
YouTube to replace ABC and stream the Oscars exclusively worldwide from 2029 Getty Images/iStock
Why the YouTube Oscars deal matters for the Academy
The Oscars once drew more than 50 million TV viewers. That was 1998. In recent years, numbers have settled around 20 million, sometimes lower, with younger audiences watching on phones or ignoring live television altogether. The Academy has been under pressure to reverse declines and reach film fans outside the US broadcast model.
Academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Lynette Howell Taylor said the organisation wanted wider access. Their statement described an international membership and a need to “expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible.” The language made no complaint about ABC, but the intent was obvious. The future audience sits online.
YouTube replaces ABC as the home of the Oscars from 2029iStock
What will YouTube show during the Oscars?
The YouTube Oscars deal covers more than a single night. Viewers will see the ceremony, red carpet, backstage footage and the Governors Ball. The Academy will also place interviews with filmmakers, nomination announcements, education programmes, and podcasts on its channel.
Google’s arts and culture arm will support digital archive work, including elements of the Academy Museum and parts of a vast film collection with more than 52 million items (worth approximately £41.08 million / ₹4,313.4 million). In time, the Oscars page may feel less like a TV event and more like a year-round film hub.
There will be accessibility tools. Closed caption tracks will be available, with audio in several languages. That speaks directly to the “2 billion worldwide users” figure YouTube quotes.
The Academy signs a long deal with YouTube for exclusive streamingiStock
How does YouTube benefit from hosting the Oscars?
For YouTube, this is a branding moment. Chief executive Neal Mohan called the Oscars “one of our essential cultural institutions,” and the platform now controls one of Hollywood’s few remaining global events.
YouTube already has strong live-event traffic in gaming, news and sport through influencers. The Oscars give it something traditional television once guarded: cultural legitimacy. Netflix has the SAG Awards, but the YouTube Oscars deal is the first major awards show from the “big four” to abandon broadcast completely.
Overview of the Oscar statue at "Meet the Oscars" iStock
It also keeps viewers on-platform instead of sending them to cable channels. If people watch clips, commentary, and short-form reactions around the event, YouTube keeps the ad revenue.
The Academy’s broadcast partner Disney ABC has said it is looking forward to its remaining three telecasts. After that, the relationship will end.
From 2029, the Oscars will be a streaming product, hosted by a platform that did not exist when ABC started carrying the show in 1976. The Academy will hope it turns attention back to cinema rather than ratings decline.
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