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The Oscars ceremony are set to start broadcasting solely on YouTube in the year 2029, marking the newest major change in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on this week, indicating that it finalized a extended contract giving the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars until 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for March 15th, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the show will be available as a free live stream on the digital platform.

It's one more significant shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating company buyouts and fusions, in addition to steep production cuts.

"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this alliance will enable us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience attainable - which will be positive for our membership and the movie industry," said Academy leadership in a release.

For many years, audience numbers of the televised event have fallen, even if there was a minor increase in 2025, with a considerable amount of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from mobile devices and computers.

In a related comment, the head of YouTube referred to the Oscars "a key fundamental cultural institutions" and noted that working with the Academy would "motivate a fresh wave of artistic expression and cinema enthusiasts while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".

ABC, which has aired the awards since the mid-1970s, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will continue to air.

This decision follows film industry giants deal with intricate takeover attempts. These potential deals were viewed as problematic for an business that has witnessed drastic cuts over the recent period.

In common with big production houses, cable networks have faced issues as the public has increasingly opted for on-demand video instead.

The platform securing rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that the dominance of streaming sites will continue to grow.