The Oscars may soon be streaming in a very different way. According to a Bloomberg report, YouTube has officially entered the race to secure broadcast rights for the Oscars once the current deal with ABC ends in 2028. If successful, the Google-owned giant would become the first digital platform to host film’s biggest night.
ABC’s Long Reign Nears Its End
For decades, the Oscars have been a staple of broadcast television, locked to ABC since 1976. But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has been shopping the ceremony to other bidders ever since its exclusive negotiating window with Disney-ABC expired this spring.
The sticking point? Money.
Jimmy Kimmel reading tweets from President Trump at The Oscars – YouTube, New York Post
The Academy is reportedly asking for a license-fee increase, and YouTube—backed by Google’s deep pockets—may be in a position to deliver.
As Deadline noted, the breakdown came after months of negotiations where the Academy sought higher compensation for the show, which remains one of the last high-profile live events on television despite its slipping ratings. ABC had been paying a premium to keep the broadcast exclusive, but with costs climbing and audiences shrinking, both sides walked away without a new deal. That impasse effectively opened the door for outside bidders, setting the stage for YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming players to make their move.
Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler present together at the Oscars – X, @priceoreason
ABC still holds the rights through 2028, meaning any streaming handoff wouldn’t happen overnight. Still, the Academy’s willingness to explore new partnerships suggests they’re preparing for a very different future for their most prestigious event.
YouTube’s Growing Live-Event Ambitions
The timing makes sense. Traditional viewership of the Oscars has been in decline for years, with younger audiences turning away from network TV entirely. Meanwhile, YouTube isn’t just the world’s most-used video platform. It’s been steadily investing in live events through YouTube TV. NFL Sunday Ticket is now under its umbrella, and earlier this week, the platform boasted a record-setting live audience when Taylor Swift appeared on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.
Kieran Culkin in his Oscars acceptance speech – YouTube, ABC News
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By chasing the Oscars, YouTube isn’t just looking for prestige. It’s making a statement that it can rival legacy networks in delivering cultural milestones.
A Risk or a Revival?
Still, the move raises questions. Would the Oscars on YouTube help the Academy reach new viewers, or would it risk alienating older audiences who remain loyal to traditional broadcasts? The ceremony has long struggled with falling ratings, criticism over its length, and a perceived disconnect from moviegoers. But a migration to YouTube could open up possibilities—global access, interactive features like live chats, and clips going viral in real time.
Zoe Saldana accepts the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress – YouTube, ABC News
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The trade-off could be profound. Younger viewers might embrace the Oscars as a social media spectacle, while some critics might argue the gravitas of the event would be diminished by turning it into another clickable stream. The Academy will need to balance accessibility with prestige if it wants the gamble to pay off.
What Comes Next?
AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer has praised Disney-ABC as an “amazing partner,” but also expressed confidence last year that the next deal “will be very lucrative” regardless of who wins the rights. With YouTube now in the running, that confidence may be well-placed.
Gene Hackman at the Oscars – YouTube, Fox News
The ABC deal ensures the Oscars remain on network television through 2028, but after that, the stage is wide open. Whether YouTube becomes the new home for the Oscars remains to be seen, but the streaming wars are no longer just about scripted shows and movies. Now, even the Academy Awards are up for grabs.
Do you think we’ll see the Oscars on YouTube? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
All the nominated movies could move to youboobtube for free and it would have the same effect as a tree falling in the woods with no one around. hollyweird’s self-aggrandizement has fewer and fewer viewers as the years pass, as its relevancy reaches that of a dry gulch.
The Oscars are woke awards, awarded for not being white, not being a man, and not being straight.
YouTube would be dumb to waste the money. The Oscars have lost any relevance except to the people getting or giving awards and there’s no way, with plummeting viewership over the last ten years, the Oscars will get even MORE money for the broadcast rights.
In the real world when someone repeatedly fails to deliver, they don’t get to say “It’s fine, lets raise our prices!”
The “Male and Pale” is stale meme is just one thing that has sunk the Oscars.
The movies nominated are typically uninspired “artistic” drivel, now with new improved DEI quotas, voted on by faceless academy members. The hosts, award announcers, and award winners are often insufferable idiots who tend to say the same thing which usually amounts to pimping a cause of the day. The rest clap like a flock of seals.
Ricky Gervais, woke himself, at least channeled some of the audience expectations into his monologue but he’s the only host in decades to actually say what the viewing audience is thinking.
Yeah, I know. Preaching to the Choir.