The Academy Awards (Oscars), the most prestigious awards in the United States, will be broadcast live worldwide on YouTube starting in 2029. This will bring to a close ABC's exclusive Oscars broadcast regime, introduced in 1976, after about 50 years.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 17th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which oversees the Oscars, said it has signed a five-year exclusive broadcast deal with Google's (Alphabet) YouTube. The YouTube broadcast is set to begin with the 101st ceremony in 2029.
In particular, the decision is seen as significant because the Oscars, Hollywood's most storied event, has chosen a streaming-centered media environment. The Oscars has also been the slowest among major awards shows to adopt streaming.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a joint statement, "This partnership is an opportunity for the Academy to reach viewers around the world more broadly," and noted that "YouTube has presented innovative possibilities to offer 'participatory content.'"
The Academy plans to expand the Oscars from a one-off event into content that can be consumed year-round. Accordingly, the official Oscars YouTube channel will feature additional content alongside the main ceremony, including the Governors Awards held in the fall, red carpet events, and behind-the-scenes footage from the ceremony.
Changes are also expected in terms of revenue structure and asset utilization. Under the deal, the Academy will strengthen its control over Oscars sponsorships and partnerships, and Google will support the digitization of the Academy's approximately 52 million-piece film collection, the "Academy Collection."
A practical issue behind the Oscars' move to YouTube is a long-term decline in ratings. According to Nielsen, when ABC and the Academy last renewed their contract in 2016, the Oscars drew 34.4 million viewers, but in March this year, viewership fell to 19.7 million.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, viewership hit a record low of 10.4 million, about 18% of the peak of 57 million in 1998.
During renewal talks, ABC and the Academy reportedly held differing positions. ABC has paid the Academy about $100 million annually for Oscars broadcast rights, but as ratings fell, it sought a reduction. The Academy, however, maintained it could not accept that since the Oscars account for about 60% of its annual income, and the two sides split after failing to narrow their differences.
The Academy did agree to receive a lower rights fee from YouTube than from ABC, but it is seen as judging that influence and additional value would offset the difference.
The two sides also clashed over the ceremony's format. To shorten broadcast time, ABC for years pushed to exclude some of the 24 award institutional sectors from the live telecast, but backlash within the Academy was fierce, calling it "an insult to artists," leading to internal strife.
Meanwhile, ABC has moved to reshape its portfolio by securing exclusive broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards. The network will air the Grammys for 10 years starting in 2027 and will pay $50 million annually.