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The Oscars ceremony are set to start airing only on the global video platform in the year 2029, signaling the newest substantial shift in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the news on this week, stating that it finalized a extended contract awarding YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars up to 2033.

The awards show, set for 15 March, has aired for a half a century on ABC. Starting in 2029, the show will be viewable in real-time without charge on YouTube.

This is one more substantial restructuring in the entertainment world, which is navigating company buyouts and fusions, coupled with severe slashes to movie budgets.

"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this partnership will enable us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership attainable - which will be beneficial for our membership and the cinematic world," remarked Academy leadership in a announcement.

Over decades, viewership of the televised event have dropped, though there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers watching from smartphones and desktops.

In a corresponding announcement, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "a key fundamental pillars of culture" and said that working with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of innovation and movie fans while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".

ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since 1976, commented that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will still host.

This shift coincides with major studios confront challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were seen as unfavourable for an business that has seen significant downsizing over the recent period.

In common with big production houses, cable networks have struggled as the viewers has shifted towards on-demand video instead.

YouTube winning rights to the Oscars strongly indicates that dependence on online services will persist to grow.