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The Oscars ceremony will commence airing only on YouTube in the year 2029, representing the most recent significant shift in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on this week, indicating that it entered into a extended contract granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars until 2033.

The Oscars, set for 15 March, has aired for 50 years on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be accessible live and for free on the digital platform.

This is a further major restructuring in the entertainment world, which is grappling with studio sales and mergers, coupled with severe slashes to movie budgets.

"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this alliance will permit us to increase availability to the mission of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience imaginable - which will be advantageous for our Academy members and the movie industry," stated organization heads in a statement.

For many years, ratings of the awards show have declined, though there was a minor increase in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers tuning in from cell phones and computers.

In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO described the Oscars "one of our vital cultural touchstones" and added that teaming up with the Academy would "motivate a fresh wave of innovation and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' celebrated legacy".

ABC, which has aired the awards since 1976, said that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will continue to air.

This decision coincides with major studios confront challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were considered unfavourable for an sector that has witnessed drastic cuts over the recent period.

In common with major studios, traditional TV channels have struggled as the audience has shifted towards streaming services instead.

The platform securing the license to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that the dominance of digital platforms will continue increasing.