In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, ending 68 years of TV broadcast. The deal brings streaming and marks the first of four to ditch TV.
Streaming Shift
ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028, a year that will also host the 100th Oscars. Starting in 2029, YouTube will hold global streaming rights through 2033, serving as the home for all Oscars‑related content, including red‑carpet coverage, the Governors Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.
Partnership Details
“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year‑round Academy programming,” said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and academy president Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community.”
Historical Context
The Walt Disney Co.‑owned ABC has been the broadcast home to the Oscars for almost its entire history. NBC first televised the Oscars in 1953, but ABC picked up the rights in 1961. Aside from a period between 1971 and 1975, when NBC again aired the show, the Oscars have been on ABC.
Audience Reach and Features
The Academy Awards will stream for free worldwide on YouTube, in addition to YouTube TV subscribers. Viewers can access audio tracks in many languages and closed captioning. YouTube, with an estimated 2 billion viewers, will also carry the Governors Awards and the nominations announcement.
Financial Terms
Financial terms were not disclosed.
YouTube CEO Statement
“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube. “Partnering with the academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
ABC Statement
“ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network said in a statement. “We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”
Viewership Statistics
The 2025 Academy Awards were watched by 19.7 million viewers on ABC, a slight increase from the year before.
Key Takeaways
- The Oscars will move from ABC to YouTube in 2029, ending 68 years of TV broadcast.
- The deal brings streaming and marks the first of four to ditch TV.
- The partnership includes free global access, multilingual audio, and closed captioning.
The transition marks a significant change in how audiences will experience one of the world’s most celebrated film awards, moving the ceremony from traditional broadcast to a global streaming platform.
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