YouTube will exclusively broadcast ‘the Oscars’ from 2029
This will mark the end of a decades-long period of "ABC" broadcasting since 1976.
The Academy Awards have found a new home. Starting in 2029, the Oscars will be broadcast live and free to more than 2 billion viewers worldwide on YouTube, as well as to YouTube TV subscribers in the United States.
YouTube has won exclusive rights to stream the Oscars starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday. Its deal will run through 2033. ABC will continue to broadcast the ceremony until 2028. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
YouTube will add subtitles and audio tracks in multiple languages, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced. Since the event is live and partly unscripted, ensuring both of these features work accurately can be challenging, but YouTube has had three years to figure it out.
Beyond the ceremony, the Oscars channel on YouTube will also host other Academy events, including the Governors Awards, the Oscars Nominations Announcement, the Oscars Nominees Luncheon, and various interviews, podcasts, and film education programs.
According to NBC News, the Oscars viewership has been on the decline since 1998, when Titanic won 11 awards. That show attracted 55 million viewers, while the latest had just 20 million. The Academy, however, is hopeful of a resurgence.
“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 CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor in a joint statement. “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.”
Under the agreement, YouTube will broadcast not only the ceremony itself, but also red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, the Oscar nominations announcement, interviews with Academy members and filmmakers, access to the Governors Ball event, film education programs, podcasts, and more.
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