YouTube makes history by winning exclusive rights to one of TV’s biggest events that hasn’t happened in decades

YouTube has won the exclusive streaming rights for the Oscars, starting a major change in how people watch one of TV’s biggest events. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the deal on Wednesday. The Google-owned platform beat other bidders, including ABC, which has been showing the awards for decades.

This marks a huge shift, ending ABC’s nearly unbroken run of hosting the Oscars since 1961. That’s more than 60 years of history now moving to streaming. It shows how powerful YouTube has become in the TV world. The change won’t happen right away, though. 

According to Oscars, ABC will keep showing the ceremony until 2028. YouTube’s first show will be the 101st Oscars in 2029, and the deal runs through 2033. The price of the deal wasn’t shared, but the size of this change shows how serious streaming platforms are about getting major live events.

The Academy needed a fresh approach to boost declining ratings

The Academy had good reasons to look for something new. Oscar ratings have been dropping for years. The show hit a peak of 55 million viewers in 1998, but recent ceremonies have only brought in around 20 million viewers. The Academy wants to reach younger people who don’t watch regular TV anymore.

YouTube’s massive size makes this deal perfect. The platform reaches over 2 billion people worldwide. The ceremony will be available live and completely free to all those viewers globally. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber in the United States, you’ll also get access through that service. This kind of global, free reach could help the Oscars reverse the declining viewer numbers.

The deal includes more than just the main awards show. YouTube is getting the full package, which is great news for film fans. The platform will show live red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, and even the official Oscar nominations announcement. This comes as YouTube continues to expand its TV experience features for viewers.

YouTube will also stream the Governors Ball, film education programs, and podcasts. The platform will show interviews with Academy members and filmmakers too. This year-round content keeps the Oscars relevant even after the ceremony ends, creating buzz throughout the entire year instead of just during award season. Google has been making several updates to improve how YouTube handles advertising content across its platform.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor released a statement about the partnership. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible, which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community,” the joint statement read.