In another sign of the changing TV world, the Oscars will leave their longtime broadcast home on ABC in favor of YouTube.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced via press release that the annual Oscars telecast will air on YouTube starting in 2029. ABC will continue to air the show for the next three years. The Academy’s contract with YouTube runs through the 105th Academy Awards in 2033.
According to the release “the partnership also will include worldwide access for film fans to other Academy events and programs exclusively on the Oscars YouTube channel. This will include the Governors Awards, the Oscars Nominations Announcement, the Oscars Nominees Luncheon, the Student Academy Awards, the Scientific and Technical Awards, Academy member and filmmaker interviews, film education programs, podcasts, and more.”
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Here was Acadmy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor’s statement on the news:
We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming. 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. This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.
The new deal comes with questions that have not been answered yet. Like: Will there still be commercials during the show? Will the Oscars adhere to their typical three hour runtime? Or given that there is no set time slot on YouTube and they could air for as long as the site and the Academy want, will they go longer?
Will the Academy reinstate the awards, like the Honorary Oscars, that have been removed from the broadcast in recent years in order to shorten the show? Will there be other changes? Will they try to update the Oscar broadcast to appeal to YouTube’s younger audience? Will MrBeast present Best Picture?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But 2029 will certainly mark a major milestone in the world of films and award shows.
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