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The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on the global video platform in 2029, marking the most recent major transformation in the film industry.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it finalized a extended contract awarding YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars until 2033.

The Oscars, which is planned for March 15th, has aired for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the show will be available as a free live stream on YouTube.

It's a further major restructuring in the entertainment world, which is navigating corporate acquisitions and consolidations, along with drastic reductions in filming.

"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this collaboration will allow us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be advantageous for our film artists and the cinematic world," stated Academy leadership in a statement.

Throughout a long period, viewership of the ceremony have dropped, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a notable portion of youthful audiences watching from mobile devices and desktops.

In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO called the Oscars "among our fundamental cultural touchstones" and added that working with the Academy would "spark a fresh wave of creativity and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated heritage".

ABC, which has televised the awards since 1976, stated that it was excited "to the next three telecasts" it will retain rights for.

The move coincides with major studios face challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were considered problematic for an business that has experienced severe reductions over the recent period.

In common with major studios, cable networks have faced issues as the audience has chosen streaming services instead.

YouTube obtaining the license to the Oscars further suggests that dependence on digital platforms will persist expanding.