The Oscars are moving from ABC to YouTube starting in 2029
The Academy Awards will soon have a new home. Beginning in 2029, Hollywood’s biggest night in movies will officially be broadcast via YouTube, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The multiyear deal between the academy and YouTube runs through 2033 and will give the online streamer exclusive global rights to the awards show, red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes footage, Governors Ball access and more, according to an official press release from the academy. The deal, according to the release, will also increase the awards show’s accessibility and widen the academy’s global audience.
“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,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor said in a 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.”
Kramer and Taylor continued, “This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.”
The shift will mark the end of the awards show’s longtime partnership with ABC, which has hosted the ceremony since 1976. ABC, owned by Disney, runs through 2028. YouTube, which is owned by Google, outbid additional offers, including one from ABC, according to an article in Deadline. The video-sharing platform’s first Academy Awards show will be the 101st Oscars ceremony.
“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, told Deadline. “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 told the Hollywood Reporter in a statement, “ABC has been the proud home to the Oscars for more than half a century. 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.”
