{"id":148657,"date":"2025-12-18T22:30:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/?p=148657"},"modified":"2025-12-18T22:30:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:30:19","slug":"cut-oscars-abandon-broadcast-signing-exclusive-deal-with-youtube-starting-in-2029","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/cut-oscars-abandon-broadcast-signing-exclusive-deal-with-youtube-starting-in-2029\/","title":{"rendered":"Cut! Oscars Abandon Broadcast, Signing Exclusive Deal with YouTube Starting in 2029"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a seismic announcement that sent shockwaves through Hollywood on Wednesday, the Academy confirmed it will end its more than fifty-year partnership with ABC. The deal, which begins with the 101st ceremony in 2029 and runs through 2033, marks the most prominent entertainment awards show to jettison traditional broadcast television for a digital-first platform<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor in a joint statement<\/a><\/a>. The ceremony, including red carpet coverage and behind-the-scenes content, will be streamed live and for free to viewers globally on YouTube, with U.S. viewers also able to watch via YouTube TV<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The End of a Broadcast Era<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The move is a historic punctuation mark on the Oscars’ long broadcast history. First televised by NBC in 1953, the ceremony has called ABC home since 1976, aside from a brief stint on NBC in the early 1970s<\/a><\/a>. ABC will air the awards through 2028, culminating in a grand centennial celebration for the show’s 100th ceremony<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Disney-owned ABC, the loss is not without a sense of relief. Insider reports suggest the Academy was seeking a significant increase from the roughly $100 million per year Disney was paying, an amount that no longer made financial sense for the network given the show’s declining ratings<\/a><\/a><\/a>. Insiders believe YouTube outbid competitors with a nine-figure offer, surpassing bids from Disney and NBCUniversal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network stated. “We look forward to the next three telecasts…and wish the Academy…continued success”<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why YouTube? A Calculated Gamble for Global Reach<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Academy’s choice of YouTube\u2014a platform better known for creator content than live prestige telecasts\u2014initially stunned the industry<\/a><\/a>. However, it represents a calculated strategy to combat two major challenges: plummeting domestic viewership and a desire for international growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oscar ratings have collapsed from a peak of 57 million U.S. viewers in 1998 (the year of Titanic<\/em>) to just 19.7 million in 2025<\/a><\/a><\/a>. Simultaneously, the Academy has aggressively expanded its voting membership internationally, with 21% of voters now based outside the U.S.<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YouTube’s key advantages:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n