It’s the end of an era. The Oscar Awards are moving from network television to… YouTube.
The Academy Awards’ 50-year contract with ABC Network expires in 2028.
According to reports, the Academy inked a multi-year deal with Google to begin broadcasting the awards show on YouTube in 2029.
YouTube TV offers multichannel streaming and is favored by cord cutters over Hulu and other services.
From Forbes:
The Oscars were first televised in 1953 on NBC. It was the 25th ceremony, a milestone that marked the award show’s transition from radio broadcasts to the small screen. With the Academy partnering with YouTube, the Oscars’ last airing on broadcast television will be its 100th ceremony. The centennial closes out 75 years of film lovers tuning in using a mode of transmission that revolutionized the industry. In four years, they’ll be doing so on a platform considered to be the future of TV.
Here’s what famed filmmaker James Cameron had to say about the move.
I couldn’t sit down with James Cameron today and *not* ask him about the Oscars going to YouTube … pic.twitter.com/Cny9MaMOu1
— Barry Hertz (@HertzBarry) December 19, 2025
X users had mixed reactions about the move.
@Borys_Kit wrote: “As someone who works in film and television, seeing the Oscars move from ABC to YouTube feels like a natural reflection of where audiences are today. It’s less about losing prestige and more about how legacy institutions evolve to stay connected in a changing media landscape.”
User @Tobiflamme writes: “This is wild. The Oscars on YouTube opens a whole new can of questions live comments, ads every five minutes, and six-hour streams? I’m not sure the world is ready.”
@AmonWarmann wrote: “Oscars going to Youtube is a fair punishment.”
