🔗 Share this article The Academy Awards to Depart ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Beginning in 2029. The Academy Awards are set to start broadcasting solely on YouTube in the year 2029, representing the latest major shift in the film industry. The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it finalized a extended contract granting YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars until 2033. The Oscars, scheduled for March 15th, has been televised for five decades on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the ceremony will be viewable in real-time without charge on the digital platform. It's a further major restructuring in the entertainment world, which is navigating company buyouts and fusions, coupled with drastic production cuts. "The Academy is an global institution, and this collaboration will enable us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible - which will be positive for our Academy members and the movie industry," stated the Academy's executives in a release. Over decades, audience numbers of the ceremony have fallen, even if there was a minor increase in recent years, with a notable portion of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from mobile devices and computers. In a related comment, YouTube's CEO described the Oscars "a key essential pillars of culture" and said that working with the Academy would "inspire a new generation of innovation and cinema enthusiasts while adhering to the Oscars' storied heritage". The broadcast network, which has streamed the awards since 1976, stated that it was eagerly anticipating "to the next three telecasts" it will continue to air. This decision coincides with film industry giants face challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered unfavourable for an business that has witnessed severe reductions over the last few years. In common with big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the public has chosen streaming services as an alternative. YouTube winning broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that reliance on digital platforms will carry on to grow.