The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), organisers of the Oscars, has announced that the annual awards will be available to watch exclusively on YouTube from 2029.
The Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer and its president Lynette Taylor disclosed this in a statement.
“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”.
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According to the AMPAS, the prestigious motion picture awards ceremony will be viewable only on streaming for the first time, ending a decades-long relationship with US broadcaster ABC.
The annual Academy Awards, which celebrate the year’s top achievements in film and draw the world’s biggest A-list stars to a Hollywood theatre, are regularly watched by around 20 million Americans and millions more globally.
ABC’s latest contract to broadcast the show had been due to end in 2028, with the 100th Academy Awards.
The Disney-owned channel will continue to air the Oscars up until then.
The AMPAS new deal with Google-owned YouTube represents a radical new direction for the show, and an industry that has long been wary about the impact of streamers on cinema.
The exclusive YouTube streaming will make it possible for more people to watch the show live from 2029.
