The Oscars to Depart Broadcast TV and Stream on YouTube Starting in 2029.

The Academy Awards are set to start broadcasting solely on the global video platform in 2029, marking the newest substantial change in the film industry.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, indicating that it entered into a multi-year deal granting YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars up to 2033.

The Oscars, which is planned for March 15th, has been televised for five decades on the traditional network. Starting in 2029, the event will be available live and for free on the digital platform.

It's a further substantial shakeup in Hollywood, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, along with steep production cuts.

"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this alliance will enable us to increase availability to the work of the Academy to the biggest global viewership attainable - which will be positive for our membership and the movie industry," said organization heads in a announcement.

For many years, viewership of the awards show have fallen, even if there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of youthful audiences watching from smartphones and laptops.

In a related comment, the video platform's chief executive described the Oscars "one of our fundamental cultural institutions" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a new generation of artistic expression and cinema enthusiasts while remaining faithful to the Oscars' storied heritage".

The broadcast network, which has televised the awards since 1976, said that it was looking forward "to hosting the event three more times" it will retain rights for.

The move follows large entertainment companies deal with challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were considered problematic for an industry that has experienced severe reductions over the last few years.

Similar to major studios, cable networks have encountered challenges as the public has increasingly opted for digital platforms instead.

YouTube obtaining broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards clearly signals that dependence on digital platforms will continue to grow.