The entertainment world witnesses a transformative moment as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces exclusive partnership with YouTube for Oscar broadcasting rights beginning in 2029. This four-year global agreement marks the end of traditional network television’s decades-long dominance over Hollywood’s premier ceremony, embracing digital streaming as the future platform for delivering enhanced content to unprecedented worldwide audiences with comprehensive year-round programming.
Beyond the main ceremony broadcast, this comprehensive partnership encompasses extensive Academy-related programming throughout the awards season and beyond. YouTube gains exclusive rights to red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes exclusive footage, Governors Ball access, the Governors Awards ceremony, nomination announcements, the nominees Luncheon, Student Academy Awards, extensive interviews with Academy members and filmmakers, film education content, podcasts, and supplementary programming designed to transform occasional event viewing into sustained engagement with filmmaking excellence.
Academy leadership expressed enthusiasm about enhanced global accessibility through this digital partnership. Bill Kramer and Lynette Howell Taylor emphasized their organization’s international character, with 21% of voting members now residing outside the United States. They characterized worldwide digital distribution through YouTube as beneficial for Academy membership and the broader filmmaking community, advancing organizational mission while ensuring unprecedented accessibility for audiences worldwide passionate about celebrating creative achievement in cinema.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan welcomed responsibility for stewarding the Oscars into the digital age with balanced commitment to tradition and innovation. He praised the Academy Awards as an essential cultural institution while promising to inspire emerging generations through enhanced digital experiences. This vision recognizes that successful stewardship of cultural institutions requires respecting established traditions while embracing technological advancement that enhances accessibility and engagement for evolving audience demographics and contemporary media consumption habits.
The announcement reflects entertainment industry’s ongoing transformation toward streaming dominance over traditional broadcasting. YouTube achieved record viewership shares in America throughout the current year, consistently outperforming traditional television networks. The platform successfully expanded into live sports broadcasting with September’s NFL game attracting over 17 million viewers. The competitive bidding included Netflix, NBCUniversal, and Disney, which previously paid approximately $100 million annually. Disney’s ABC network will broadcast three final ceremonies through 2028, concluding a relationship spanning over fifty years and including the upcoming centennial celebration.