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The Academy Awards will begin broadcasting solely on the global video platform in 2029, representing the latest substantial change in Hollywood.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it finalized a extended contract giving the streaming service the unique international license to the Oscars through 2033.

The Oscars, scheduled for 15 March, has aired for a half a century on the traditional network. Commencing in 2029, the show will be accessible as a free live stream on YouTube.

It's a further substantial restructuring in Hollywood, which is navigating studio sales and mergers, in addition to steep slashes to movie budgets.

"Our Academy represents an global institution, and this collaboration will permit us to expand access to the mission of the Academy to the biggest global viewership possible - which will be advantageous for our membership and the cinematic world," remarked Academy leadership in a statement.

For many years, viewership of the televised event have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a significant number of Gen Z and millennial watchers streaming from mobile devices and laptops.

In a corresponding announcement, the video platform's chief executive described the Oscars "one of our fundamental cultural institutions" and said that teaming up with the Academy would "inspire a fresh wave of artistic expression and movie fans while adhering to the Oscars' storied history".

ABC, which has televised the awards since 1976, commented that it was eagerly anticipating "to hosting the event three more times" it will still host.

This shift coincides with film industry giants confront intricate takeover attempts. Both options were seen as unfavourable for an business that has seen significant downsizing over the recent period.

Similar to major studios, traditional TV channels have encountered challenges as the audience has chosen streaming services instead.

The platform securing broadcasting rights to the Oscars further suggests that the dominance of streaming sites will continue to grow.