The annual Academy Awards telecast, which has been airing on ABC for roughly five decades, will shift to a streaming format beginning in 2029, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing a deal Wednesday giving YouTube exclusive rights to the Oscars.
The deal will begin in 2029 and continue through 2033. ABC will continue to carry the Oscars through 2028.
“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,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said 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.
“This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.”
According to the Academy, the agreement with YouTube will make Oscar coverage available to more than 2 billion viewers worldwide on YouTube, as well as to YouTube TV subscribers in the United States.
The deal will also provide streaming viewership access to Academy events such as the Governors Awards, the Oscar nominations announcement, the nominees luncheon, Student Academy Awards, the Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, filmmaker interviews, education programs and podcasts.
It will also make the events more accessible globally thanks to features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in multiple languages, according to the Academy.
The deal will also provide digital access to some Academy Museum exhibitions and programs, while digitizing some of the Academy Collection, which has more than 52 million film-related items.
“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, said in a statement. “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.”