The Academy Awards to Depart ABC and Stream on the Video Platform Beginning in the Year 2029.

The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on YouTube in the year 2029, signaling the newest major shift in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars revealed the news on this week, indicating that it signed a long-term agreement giving YouTube the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for 15 March, has aired for a half a century on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the ceremony will be available live and for free on the digital platform.

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

"Our Academy represents an worldwide body, and this alliance will allow us to expand access to the mission of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be positive for our film artists and the film community," stated the Academy's executives in a announcement.

For many years, ratings of the ceremony have fallen, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of youthful audiences streaming from smartphones and computers.

In a corresponding announcement, the head of YouTube described the Oscars "one of our vital pillars of culture" and added that teaming up with the Academy would "motivate a younger cohort of artistic expression and film lovers while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied heritage".

ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since the mid-1970s, said that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will still host.

This shift comes as large entertainment companies deal with complex corporate battles. Such proposals were seen as problematic for an sector that has experienced significant downsizing over the past several years.

Similar to big production houses, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the audience has increasingly opted for streaming services instead.

The platform securing rights to the Academy Awards strongly indicates that reliance on streaming sites will carry on expanding.