In a groundbreaking move poised to send shockwaves through Hollywood, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has inked a multi-year deal granting YouTube exclusive global rights to the Oscars. This transformative partnership, beginning in 2029 with the 101st ceremony and extending through 2033, signifies a dramatic departure from ABC, which has been the traditional home for the film industry’s biggest night for decades and retains telecast rights until 2028.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Oscars—encompassing red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, and the exclusive Governors Ball—will be available live and free to viewers around the world on YouTube. Additionally, YouTube TV subscribers in the United States will have access. Sources familiar with the matter confirm that commercials will continue to air during the Oscars on YouTube.

The architects of this agreement, including Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor, expressed their excitement for a “multifaceted global partnership.” They stated that the move to YouTube will make the Oscars more accessible to “the Academy’s growing global audience through features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in multiple languages.” This collaboration aims to leverage YouTube’s vast reach, infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative engagement opportunities, and celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers, and provide access to film history on an unprecedented global scale. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the partnership’s potential to inspire new generations of creativity and film lovers while honoring the Oscars’ storied legacy.

The Academy had actively sought a new broadcast licensing agreement throughout 2025, attracting bids from conventional and unconventional buyers like NBCUniversal and Netflix. Insiders suggest YouTube secured the deal for over nine figures, outbidding high eight-figure offers from Disney/ABC and NBCUniversal. Under its most recent contract, Disney was reportedly paying around $100 million annually for the Oscars, but was looking to reduce license fees due to declining ratings. Industry executives were reportedly surprised that YouTube, a sole streamer without a linear/streaming combo, won the bid, especially given its perceived lack of a robust live event production infrastructure compared to streamers like Netflix or Amazon. However, YouTube will have three years to assemble a production team, and it's also plausible that the Academy favored YouTube precisely for the potential to assume full production control.

This shift to YouTube is viewed by many as a “liberation” for the Oscars, unshackling the ceremony from the “tyranny of the three-hour broadcast window” that has long dictated its format on traditional television. For years, debates over how to shorten the show led to compromises such as trimming categories, rushing speeches, and relegating entire craft awards to commercial breaks. With YouTube, the Academy can now exercise