The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on December 17, 2025 that YouTube has signed a multi year agreement granting it exclusive global rights to stream the Oscars beginning in 2029 through 2033. The historic shift marks a major turning point for the entertainment industry as it continues moving away from legacy television toward digital platforms with the ceremony leaving broadcast television for the first time in its nearly century long history.
ABC owned by Disney has aired the Oscars since 1976 and will continue broadcasting the ceremony through 2028 including the show’s centennial celebration marking the 100th Academy Awards. YouTube ultimately outbid ABC and other potential partners including NBCUniversal and Netflix though financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Industry insiders believe YouTube paid over nine figures for the rights besting high eight figure offers from Disney ABC and NBCUniversal while the most recent Disney contract reportedly paid around 100 million dollars annually.
Neal Mohan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube stated that the Oscars are one of the world’s essential cultural institutions honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry. 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 according to the YouTube executive. The ceremony including red carpet coverage behind the scenes content and Governors Ball access will be available live and for free to over two billion viewers around the world on YouTube as well as to YouTube TV subscribers in the United States.
Bill Kramer, Academy CEO and Lynette Howell Taylor, Academy President stated in a joint announcement that the organization is thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and year round Academy programming. The Academy is an international organization and this partnership will allow expanding access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible which will be beneficial for Academy members and the film community. The collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring the organization’s legacy.
YouTube represented the largest share of United States streaming television viewing in November 2025 according to Nielsen, a leading measurement firm demonstrating the platform’s dominance in the television and video ecosystem. The Google owned platform has over two billion global users and YouTube TV is expected to pass Comcast and Charter to become the largest pay television service in the United States at some point in the next year. By 2029 it will likely be one of the largest players in linear television in addition to its global scale as a creator led platform.
The deal includes not only the Oscars ceremony itself but also significant related content. Red carpet preshow and behind the scenes content, Oscar nominations announcement, Governors Awards where the Academy presents honorary Oscars and occasionally the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Oscars Nominees Luncheon, Student Academy Awards ceremony, Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, Academy member and filmmaker interviews, film education programs and podcasts will all come to YouTube. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will also be supported by the Google Arts and Culture initiative which will help provide digital access to select exhibitions and programs and help digitize components of the Academy Collection comprising the largest film related collection in the world with more than 52 million items.
YouTube will help make the Oscars accessible to the Academy’s growing global audience through features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in multiple languages. The partnership will include worldwide access for film fans to other Academy events and programs exclusively on the Oscars YouTube channel. While specifics remain unclear since the deal begins four years from now, YouTube is expected to give many of its creators access to the awards certainly on the red carpet and likely in the Dolby Theatre as well.
Oscars ratings have generally declined since peaking in 1998 when Titanic conquered the ceremony winning 11 trophies and helping draw in 55 million viewers. The most recent telecast brought in nearly 20 million viewers representing a slight improvement over COVID 19 era installments but still a fraction of the audience that tuned in for the ceremony at the height of its commercial and cultural power. The Academy had been seeking a new broadcast licensing agreement for the better part of 2025 with several expected and unconventional buyers coming into the mix as potential suitors over the summer.
ABC acknowledged the transition in a statement noting its long history with the Oscars and expressing anticipation for the final three broadcasts including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028 while wishing the Academy continued success in the years ahead. Disney executives were reportedly surprised to learn that YouTube, a sole streamer and not a linear streaming combination, won the bid. Under the most recent contract Disney was paying around 100 million dollars annually for the Oscars but given the ratings declines Disney ABC were reportedly looking to spend less on license fees.
Reactions in Hollywood have been mixed with some creatives seeing the shift as a bold evolution and others viewing it as a symbolic break from tradition. Screenwriter Daniel Kunka remarked on social media that YouTube broadcasting the Oscars is like shaking hands with the person trying to kill traditional Hollywood distribution. YouTube would disagree having encouraged filmmakers to experiment with new technology and distribute projects in new ways while also dabbling with financing original movies in the past.
The move highlights the growing influence of streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix which have reshaped how audiences consume entertainment. Netflix has secured rights to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards recently rebranded as The Actors Awards for 2026 marking another major awards show embracing streaming. However the Oscars represents the first of the major entertainment awards including the Grammys, Emmys and Tonys to move from traditional broadcast television to streaming only. Other shows have streaming partnerships but as of now still have main broadcasts on regular television.
Despite the industry’s digital transformation, the Oscars continue to prioritize theatrical releases with many award winning films still debuting at major festivals and in cinemas before eventually reaching streaming platforms. The 2025 Best Picture winner Anora premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in France, enjoyed a theatrical run and made its way to Hulu months afterward demonstrating the continued importance of theatrical exhibition even as streaming becomes the primary consumption method for most viewers.
The timing of the announcement comes during a challenging period for the film industry in general with ongoing debates over theatrical windows and questions about how movies might be distributed and consumed by the start of the next decade. With the fate of Warner Bros and its theatrical efforts currently uncertain, questions remain about what an Oscar movie will mean by the time YouTube takes over the award in 2029. Some industry observers wonder whether the ceremony will have the same cultural impact on a streamer known more for creator content than scripted Hollywood fare.
One significant advantage YouTube brings is production flexibility since the platform lacks time constraints that broadcast television imposes. The Academy potentially has complete control to do whatever it wants with the telecast without negotiations over show length, which awards to present or who should host. Industry insiders note that the Academy and Disney ABC would occasionally have disagreements over the best path for the Oscars. On a streamer with no time limits the Oscars can be any length and the Academy likely has carte blanche over production decisions.
YouTube’s first show will be the 101st Oscars ceremony scheduled for 2029 representing a new era for Hollywood’s leading awards show and a mainstay of network television for decades. The move reflects recognition of digital media’s power as YouTube continues expanding its presence in live events programming. Several questions remain unanswered including what happens to the Academy’s international distribution deals for the Oscars which represented additional license fee revenue under the previous Disney arrangement where rights were sold on a country by country basis to local television partners.
The partnership symbolizes how dramatically the media landscape has transformed over recent decades with digital platforms now commanding audiences and advertising revenue that once belonged exclusively to broadcast networks. For YouTube the deal represents validation of its evolution from user generated content platform into a comprehensive entertainment destination capable of hosting prestige events traditionally reserved for broadcast television. For the Academy the partnership promises unprecedented global reach free accessibility and technological innovation while presenting risks associated with departing from traditional broadcast distribution that has served the Oscars for nearly 50 years.
