The Oscars to Stream for Free on YouTube Starting in 2029
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on YouTube beginning in 2029. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Wednesday that it has signed a multi-year deal with YouTube to stream the Oscars from 2029 — starting with the 101st ceremony — through 2033. ABC, which has broadcast the ceremony for decades, will retain the rights through 2028.
The Oscars broadcast will include red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes footage, and the Academy Governors Awards, all available for free to audiences worldwide. Architects of the deal say they hope YouTube will make the Oscars more accessible than ever and expand its global audience through features such as subtitles and audio translation in multiple languages.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said they are thrilled for YouTube to become the “future home” of the Oscars: “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership allows us to make access to the Academy’s work available to the largest possible global audience — benefiting our members and the film community alike.”
Variety reports that YouTube has signed a nine-figure deal with the Academy, outbidding both Disney and NBCUniversal. Disney had been paying around $100 million annually to broadcast the Oscars, but viewership had declined year after year. The report adds that Disney was caught off guard by the agreement and learned of it only minutes before it was announced.
The Academy and Disney had at times disagreed over the ceremony’s length and hosting choices, but according to one Variety source, the show is now free to take any form it wants: “They can do whatever they want. They could put on a six-hour ceremony hosted by MrBeast.”
How viewership will be calculated on YouTube remains unclear, but it is expected to grow beyond the 18.1 million viewers of the most recent ceremony. The most-watched Oscars ceremony in history took place in 1998, when 57 million viewers tuned in to see Titanic sweep multiple awards.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 15, hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second consecutive year.
