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The Oscars will be moving from broadcast to online as part of a multi-year new deal with YouTube.
From 2029, the video platform will have exclusive global rights to Hollywood’s biggest night, including the ceremony but also red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content and Governors Ball access. The deal will run until 2033.
“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 the Academy CEO, Bill Kramer and Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor 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.”
Recent years have seen the Academy try to diversity its voting body, increasing international voters with 21% now from outside the US.
Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, hopes the partnership will “inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy”. He also praised the Oscars as one of “our essential cultural institutions”.
The deal will also include access to the Governors awards, the nominations announcement, the nominees Luncheon, the student Academy awards, Academy member and film-maker interviews, film education programs, podcasts and more.
This year has seen YouTube achieve record viewership shares in the US, remaining the most-watched streamer as network television has struggled to compete. In September, the platform hosted its first ever live NFL game, reaching over 17m viewers.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, analysts are expecting YouTube TV to become the biggest pay-TV service in the US next year. As of April this year, it had 9.4m subscribers.
The news comes after Disney’s ABC in the US scored a slight increase in ratings for this year’s ceremony with 19.7m viewers. The night was dominated by wins for Sean Baker’s comedy drama Anora.
The most-watched ceremony was in 1998 when James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic swept the board with over 57m Americans tuning in.
“ABC has been the proud home to the Oscars for more than half a century,” an ABC spokesperson said. “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.”
In 2023, Netflix also picked up the rights to the Screen Actors Guild awards, now known as the Actor awards, moving them from broadcast to streaming. According to Variety, Netflix, as well as NBCUniversal, had also been in the mix as potential buyers for the Oscars.
Disney was paying around $100m a year for broadcast rights and is believed to have also been a bidder this time. Last year saw the company stream the awards online for the first time on Hulu.
The announcement is expected to create shockwaves in the industry. Puck’s Matthew Belloni posted on X earlier today: “Academy member meltdown coming in 5….4….3….”
Next year’s ceremony, which takes place in March, will feature the first Oscar for casting. Nominations will be announced in January with films such as One Battle After Another, Sinners and Hamnet predicted.
