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The Academy Awards are set to start airing only on the global video platform in the year 2029, representing the newest significant transformation in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on this week, confirming that it entered into a long-term agreement granting the streaming service the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars up to 2033.

The Oscars, set for 15 March, has been broadcast for 50 years on ABC. Starting in 2029, the show will be viewable live and for free on the digital platform.

This is one more significant restructuring in Hollywood, which is dealing with company buyouts and fusions, along with steep production cuts.

"Our Academy represents an international organization, and this collaboration will allow us to broaden reach to the mission of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd possible - which will be beneficial for our membership and the movie industry," remarked the Academy's executives in a statement.

Over decades, audience numbers of the televised event have dropped, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a notable portion of younger viewers streaming from mobile devices and desktops.

In a corresponding announcement, YouTube's CEO referred to the Oscars "a key essential cultural touchstones" and noted that working with the Academy would "spark a younger cohort of artistic expression and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' storied heritage".

ABC, which has aired the awards since the mid-1970s, commented that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will retain rights for.

The move follows large entertainment companies confront challenging merger discussions. These potential deals were considered problematic for an sector that has experienced significant downsizing over the last few years.

Similar to major studios, cable networks have struggled as the audience has increasingly opted for on-demand video instead.

YouTube winning rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that dependence on digital platforms will continue expanding.