The Academy Awards, once television’s most glamorous night, have been hemorrhaging viewers for decades. On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a tourniquet: a multiyear deal granting YouTube exclusive global streaming rights to the Oscars from 2029 through 2033, ending a partnership with ABC that began in 1976 and fundamentally altering how Hollywood honors itself.
The shift represents a clear acknowledgment of the ceremony’s diminished grip on American culture. Oscar viewership peaked in 1998, when 55 million people tuned in to watch “Titanic” sweep the awards. The 2025 broadcast, meanwhile, drew 19.7 million viewers—a five-year high, but barely a third of that peak.
The Academy had been exploring alternatives as ABC’s contract neared its 2028 expiration, and YouTube’s bid evidently surpassed what traditional broadcasters offered.
“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.”
That global reach is the heart of the calculation. YouTube boasts more than two billion viewers worldwide, and the ceremony will stream live and free to all of them, plus YouTube TV subscribers in the United States. The platform will provide closed captioning and audio tracks in multiple languages—accessibility features that reflect how younger audiences consume content.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan framed the partnership as both preservation and evolution. “The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” Mohan said. “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.”
The deal includes more than the main telecast. YouTube gains rights to red-carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes programming, the Oscar nominations announcement, Governors Ball access, Academy member interviews, film education programs, and podcasts. It also becomes the exclusive worldwide home for the Governors Awards, Student Academy Awards, and Scientific and Technical Awards—ceremonies that previously received little attention.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the arrangement makes the Oscars the first of entertainment’s “big four” awards shows—the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Tonys—to abandon broadcast television entirely. ABC will continue airing the ceremony through 2028, which includes the milestone 100th Oscars, before ceding the stage.
The move underscores a broader migration of live events to streaming platforms. YouTube already commands the largest share of U.S. streaming television viewership, according to Nielsen. And while Netflix has acquired rights to the SAG Awards, the Oscars represents a far more significant prize: Hollywood’s ultimate brand.
Industry reaction has been divided. Some view it as necessary modernization. Others see symbolism in the ceremony’s demotion from network television’s primetime throne to a free platform where viewers routinely skip pre-roll ads. Screenwriter Daniel Kunka captured the anxiety on X: “Broadcasting the Oscars on YouTube is like shaking hands with the guy who’s trying to kill you.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
