The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has acknowledged that the move of the Oscars to YouTube will actually take place in 2029, which is the most significant change in the way the awards show has ever been distributed. This shift means that the Oscars will be staged on YouTube where anyone in the world can watch for free, thus local networks in the United States will not have any exclusive rights to live broadcasts, as has been the case for many years, and the concept of the audiences’ accessing the Oscars will be totally transformed. Oscars moving to YouTube signals a global digital-first strategy
Declining broadcast ratings: The Oscars’ TV audience has been steadily reducing since the 1990s, when it was at its highest. (A report cited the figures of a telecast in 2025 — ~19.7M U.S. viewers — as the source of info.) Consequently, AMPAS decided to broaden its reach all over the world in order to get more viewers.
Global reach & younger audiences: The Academy mentioned that YouTube’s huge global user base (billions of users) and digital features would help them expand access and engage younger and international viewers.
Innovation / year-round engagement: According to the Academy, the agreement is “multifaceted, thus giving them an opportunity to share content with the community at different times of the year as well as create new interactive experiences on the web.
Yes, AMPAS announced that the Oscars will be live and free on YouTube worldwide; the Academy also stated that it will have multiple audio tracks and closed captions. ABC will be airing the Oscars live until the 100th ceremony in 2028; the exclusive YouTube stream will start in 2029. In addition to the main ceremony, YouTube’s rights also include the following:
-The Emmy ceremony live broadcast (the main awards event)
-Interviews with the celebrities during the red-carpet walk
-Behind-the-scenes video
-Free entry to the Governors Awards and the Governors Ball
As of the 101st Academy Awards, it will be possible to watch the live stream of the Oscars show as well as the stored copy of the event for free. Viewers are also free to listen to the show in any one of the several languages provided, and the hearing-impaired people may opt for reading the closed captions. The agreement signed between the parties is to be implemented right after the end of ABC’s contract in 2028.
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