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The Oscars ceremony will commence broadcasting solely on the global video platform in 2029, marking the latest significant shift in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, indicating that it entered into a long-term agreement giving YouTube the sole worldwide broadcasting rights to the Oscars up to 2033.

The Oscars, scheduled for 15 March, has aired for five decades on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the ceremony will be viewable live and for free on YouTube.

This is one more substantial upheaval in Hollywood, which is dealing with company buyouts and fusions, in addition to severe production cuts.

"The Academy is an worldwide body, and this alliance will allow us to increase availability to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd possible - which will be positive for our membership and the film community," said the Academy's executives in a statement.

Over decades, viewership of the awards show have fallen, although there was a small rise in 2025, with a significant number of Gen Z and millennial watchers tuning in from mobile devices and desktops.

In a related comment, the video platform's chief executive called the Oscars "a key vital pillars of culture" and said that working with the Academy would "spark a younger cohort of creativity and cinema enthusiasts while staying true to the Oscars' storied history".

The broadcast network, which has streamed the ceremony since 1976, said that it was eagerly anticipating "to the upcoming broadcasts" it will continue to air.

This shift comes as large entertainment companies face challenging merger discussions. Such proposals were viewed as unfavourable for an business that has experienced severe reductions over the past several years.

Like major studios, traditional TV channels have struggled as the public has chosen on-demand video instead.

The platform securing rights to the Oscars further suggests that reliance on online services will continue increasing.