The Academy Awards are moving to YouTube in 2029. It’s the end of an era, as ABC has broadcast the Oscars since 1976.
It may seem like a loss for the Disney-owned network, but Deadline suggested that “the amount of money that the Academy was looking for and the amount that YouTube was willing to pay, didn’t make sense for Disney.” It added that the network “has faced challenges given the nature of the types of films that generally make up the Oscar winners.”
Jimmy Kimmel reading tweets from President Trump at The Oscars – YouTube, New York Post
This will mark the first time that the Oscars will not be broadcast on public airwaves since the Second Annual Academy Awards were on local radio in 1930. It will also be the first time that the Oscars aren’t on network TV since the 1953 ceremony was aired on NBC.
Just as radio made way for television, it seems that linear television has now made way for streaming.
Changing with the Times
The multi-year deal gives YouTube exclusive global rights to the Oscars through 2033. One can only imagine how different entertainment will look by then, with rapid developments in technology and consumers’ changing tastes.
Moving to YouTube also suggests that the Academy can coordinate with the streamer to do whatever they want, free from time limitations and network television restrictions and expectations. Theoretically, popular YouTuber MrBeast could host a six-hour ceremony, one insider suggested to Variety.
MrBeast on his YouTube channel – YouTube, MrBeast
Along with the 101st Oscars coming to YouTube, viewers around the world will also be able to stream red-carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes activity, and the Governors Ball. According to sources, there will still be commercials during the broadcast.
In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said, “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.”
The Academy doesn’t seem to see this as simply selling the rights to the highest bidder, but also adapting to the latest trends.
Industry Reactions
Sasha Stone at Awards Daily, one of the first news sites dedicated to Oscars coverage, said, “Network television is dead. Google is more or less a neutral landing spot, unlike Netflix or other streamers, which require a subscription. This is power to the people.”
But she went on to add that while the move to YouTube expands the reach of the Oscars, it comes at somewhat of a loss “of their branding but the prestige that once went along with network television is, alas, gone with the wind.”
Conan O’Brien hosts The Oscars – YouTube, ABC
Others in the entertainment space wonder how much prestige and relevance the Oscars still maintain. Gary Buechler, host of the YouTube channel Nerdrotic, sarcastically noted, “YouTube wins the rights to a dying award show. That’s some forward thinking.”
YouTube wins the rights to a dying award show.
That’s some forward thinking. pic.twitter.com/lEgz2VXuXy— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) December 17, 2025
Variety’s insiders tell them that YouTube paid over nine figures for the Oscars, which was considerably more than Disney was willing to offer. They add that Disney was surprised that YouTube got the deal, and that if the Awards failed to continue at Disney, most expected NBCUniversal or even Netflix to land the contract.
Ultimately, YouTube’s global reach and accessibility may make it the ideal landing spot for Hollywood’s biggest night.
How do you feel about the Oscars going to YouTube? Sound off in the comments!
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