The Oscar ceremonies will be broadcast for free on YouTube starting in 2029. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has signed a multiyear agreement with the video hosting platform, Variety reports.
According to the terms of the deal, YouTube will receive exclusive global rights to broadcast the ceremony until the end of 2033. However, the ceremonies in 2026, 2027, and 2028 will still be broadcast in the U.S. by ABC.
Viewers around the world will have free access not only to the broadcast itself but also to red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes materials, and footage of the 'Governors Ball' — the awards ceremony celebration. These materials will also be available to YouTube TV subscribers in the U.S.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hopes that the transition to YouTube will make the ceremony more accessible to the growing online audience through subtitles and audio tracks in multiple languages.
"We are very excited to enter into a multiyear global partnership with YouTube, which will become the future home of the Oscar ceremony and our year-round programs. This will allow us to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers, and provide access to the history of film on an unprecedented global scale," said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and its president Lynette Howell Taylor.
According to sources, YouTube paid a nine-figure sum for the broadcasting rights. Disney/ABC and NBCUniversal offered eight-figure sums. Netflix was also involved in the negotiations, but the terms of its offer have not been disclosed.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place in early March, was the most popular in the last five years. The broadcast was watched by 19.69 million viewers, and it garnered 104.2 million mentions on social media, surpassing both the Grammys and the Super Bowl in this metric. The host of the evening was Conan O'Brien, who has been invited to host the ceremony again in 2026.
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