Explainer: Oscars to stream on YouTube after long TV era

For the first time, Hollywood's most prestigious awards ceremony is set to be a streaming-only event. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the Oscars will move off traditional broadcast television and onto YouTube starting in 2029. This unprecedented deal makes YouTube the exclusive home for the Oscars through 2033, ending a long-standing arrangement with the ABC network. The ceremony will be available as a free global livestream, reflecting a major change in how live events are delivered to audiences.

The move is a watershed moment for live entertainment. While award shows in recent years have partnered with streaming services, the Oscars will be the first of the major film and TV awards (Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Tonys) to completely leave broadcast TV. It signals that even television's biggest annual events are adapting to the realities of a digital era. By choosing YouTube over bidders such as traditional networks and streaming platforms like Netflix, the Academy is embracing an online-first future to reach the widest possible audience.

Broadcast legacy

The Oscars' departure from ABC marks the end of an era. ABC has been the primary television home of the Academy Awards for most of the past 60 years. The first Oscars ceremony was broadcast on TV in 1953, when NBC aired it live in black-and-white. ABC took over in 1961, and aside from a brief return to NBC in the early 1970s, the awards have aired on ABC every year since 1976. The current ABC contract runs through the Oscars' centennial edition in 2028, after which the new YouTube partnership begins. Ending the network run is a significant break with tradition, as generations of viewers have known to find "Oscar night" on the same broadcast channel for decades.

Historically, the Academy Awards ceremony has been one of the most-watched non-sports telecasts on American television. In the pre-digital age, the Oscars were a marquee TV event that could reliably draw huge national audiences. For example, in 1998, when Titanic was crowned Best Picture, over 50 million U.S. viewers tuned in. In the UK and other countries, local broadcasters would license the rights to air the Oscars live due to high interest. The shift away from a major network broadcaster therefore represents not just a new platform, but a cultural shift in how such a high-profile event is experienced.

Declining ratings

One driving force behind the change is the steady decline in traditional TV ratings for awards shows. In recent years, Oscar telecasts have seen significantly smaller audiences compared to their peaks. Just a decade ago, the Oscars could draw over 40 million U.S. viewers when popular films were nominated. By contrast, the 2021 ceremony (held under pandemic restrictions) hit a record low of around 10 million viewers. Even as viewership has partially rebounded since then – the 2025 Oscars attracted about 20 million viewers on ABC – the numbers remain roughly half of what they were in the early 2000s. Younger viewers, in particular, have been tuning out of lengthy live TV broadcasts, impacting the Oscars and similar events.

Award shows have tried various strategies to win back audiences, from shortening broadcasts to adding popular film categories and leveraging viral moments. But the overall trend has been clear: live television in general commands a shrinking share of public attention in the on-demand streaming age. The Academy's decision to stream the Oscars can be seen as a response to these changing habits. By moving online, the Oscars might recapture some viewers who are no longer reached via network TV. It also acknowledges that the way people consume media has fundamentally shifted – many prefer to watch content on laptops, tablets or smart TVs through internet platforms rather than via cable or aerial broadcast.

Global reach

YouTube's platform offers the Oscars something network television could not: truly global accessibility. Under the new arrangement, anyone with an internet connection will be able to watch the Oscars live, free of charge, from anywhere in the world. This is a major expansion from the old model, where the live broadcast was primarily for U.S. audiences and international viewers had to rely on local TV agreements or delayed highlights. By streaming on YouTube, the Academy Awards can reach countries and demographics that may have never had live access before. It effectively makes "Oscar night" a worldwide event in real time.

The partnership also promises more inclusive viewing options. The livestream will come with multiple audio tracks (providing different languages) and closed captioning. This means non-English-speaking audiences can follow along more easily. YouTube's massive user base – over 2 billion monthly logged-in users – dwarfs the reach of any single TV network. Even if a fraction of those users tune in, the potential audience size is enormous. The Academy has stated that as an international organisation, it values the ability to "expand access" to its content. For YouTube, hosting the Oscars is a prestigious opportunity to showcase its capacity to handle large-scale live events and court more mainstream viewers, not just the typical short-form video crowd.

Young viewers

Crucially, the Oscars' move online is aimed at engaging younger viewers on their home turf. Recent studies of media consumption show that streaming platforms and social media dominate the attention of younger demographics. In the US, YouTube now accounts for roughly 13% of all TV and streaming time – the largest share of any single service – with Netflix not far behind. Many millennials and Gen Z audiences never watch traditional TV at all, or they catch highlights of events through clips on YouTube, Twitter, or TikTok after the fact. By streaming the Oscars on YouTube, the Academy hopes to meet this younger audience where they already are, in a format they find convenient.

The YouTube deal hints at new ways to modernise the Oscars broadcast. Viewers might see a more interactive and multi-format experience than a standard TV airing. For instance, YouTube can offer multiple live feeds or bonus content: red carpet streams, backstage cameras, and real-time behind-the-scenes segments, all running alongside the main awards show. Social media engagement could be integrated, allowing fans to comment and participate in live chats or polls. These features appeal to digital-native viewers who expect to interact with content. While the core of the Oscar ceremony – the awards and performances – will remain, its presentation can evolve to be more dynamic in the streaming format.

Awards online

The Academy Awards are not alone in exploring online distribution. Other award shows have also begun migrating to digital platforms in recent years. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, for example, ended their run on cable TV and struck a deal with Netflix: the 2023 SAG Awards streamed live on Netflix's YouTube channel, and from 2024 the event is set to stream directly on Netflix's subscription service. The Golden Globes, after a turbulent period, negotiated a broadcast deal that includes streaming availability on Peacock (NBCUniversal's platform). Even events like music award shows and beauty pageants have tried streaming partnerships when traditional broadcasters pulled back. This broader trend indicates that the entertainment industry is testing new ways to deliver live content amid a rapidly changing media landscape.

Major sports have similarly embraced streaming: from NFL games on Amazon Prime Video to Olympic coverage on Peacock and YouTube. In that context, the Oscars' leap to YouTube is a high-profile example of a wider migration. Live events that once were exclusive to network television are increasingly finding homes on digital services, often to attract global and younger audiences. These moves also reflect the economic reality that streaming companies are willing to invest heavily in marquee live content to build their brands and subscriber bases, whereas legacy TV networks are under pressure with declining ad revenues and viewership.

Next chapter

As the Oscars prepare to celebrate their 100th ceremony on ABC in 2028, the stage is being set for a new chapter in 2029 and beyond. The YouTube era of the Academy Awards could redefine what "watching the Oscars" means for audiences. Instead of gathering around a television at a set broadcast time, viewers might watch on smart TVs, phones or computers, casting the stream from the YouTube app. The experience could become more personalised and interactive, though it also means the end of an old communal TV tradition for some.

Financially, the Oscars have been a cornerstone of the Academy's revenue, generating around USD $150 million annually from broadcasting rights and advertising. The terms of the YouTube deal have not been made public, but the tech giant's deep pockets and advertising reach likely made it an attractive offer. Sponsors and advertisers may benefit from more precise targeting on the digital platform, and the Academy could find new revenue streams through YouTube's monetisation channels.

By moving to YouTube, the Oscars are aiming to remain culturally relevant in a time of fragmenting audiences. It is a bold bet that free online access and global engagement will rejuvenate interest in the telecast. Come 2029, one of television's oldest award ceremonies will officially become a streaming event. How the change will impact viewership and the show's prestige will be closely watched. But one thing is clear: the way people watch big events is evolving, and the Oscars' online leap illustrates how even the grandest TV traditions are adapting to the streaming age.