🔗 Share this article The Oscars to Depart ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Beginning in the Year 2029. The Academy Awards are set to start streaming exclusively on YouTube in 2029, representing the latest significant transformation in the film industry. The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on this week, confirming that it finalized a extended contract awarding the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033. The Oscars, which is planned for 15 March, has been broadcast for five decades on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the show will be viewable in real-time without charge on the digital platform. This is one more major shakeup in the entertainment world, which is grappling with studio sales and mergers, in addition to steep production cuts. "The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will enable us to broaden reach to the work of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the movie industry," remarked organization heads in a statement. Over decades, viewership of the awards show have declined, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a significant number of younger viewers watching from cell phones and computers. In a related comment, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "one of our fundamental cultural touchstones" and said that working with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of creativity and cinema enthusiasts while remaining faithful to the Oscars' celebrated history". The broadcast network, which has aired the ceremony since the mid-1970s, stated that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will continue to air. This decision comes as major studios deal with challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were viewed as unfavourable for an business that has witnessed significant downsizing over the recent period. Similar to big production houses, cable networks have faced issues as the audience has chosen streaming services instead. YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that reliance on streaming sites will persist expanding.