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The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on YouTube in 2029, marking the most recent major transformation in the film industry.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on this week, confirming that it signed a multi-year deal granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been broadcast for five decades on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the event will be viewable in real-time without charge on the digital platform.

This is another substantial restructuring in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with steep slashes to movie budgets.

"The Academy is an global institution, and this collaboration will enable us to increase availability to the activities of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the cinematic world," remarked organization heads in a statement.

Throughout a long period, viewership of the awards show have fallen, though there was a small rise in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers watching from mobile devices and laptops.

In a corresponding announcement, the video platform's chief executive referred to the Oscars "among our essential cultural institutions" and noted that partnering with the Academy would "spark a fresh wave of creativity and film lovers while adhering to the Oscars' storied legacy".

ABC, which has streamed the awards since 1976, said that it was excited "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will retain rights for.

This decision coincides with large entertainment companies deal with intricate takeover attempts. These potential deals were viewed as problematic for an business that has seen significant downsizing over the past several years.

Similar to big production houses, cable networks have struggled as the public has shifted towards on-demand video as an alternative.

YouTube obtaining rights to the Academy Awards further suggests that reliance on digital platforms will continue to grow.