The Oscars to leave ABC for YouTube in 2029

AP:

The Academy Awards will move from ABC to YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday. ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028, which will mark the 100th Oscars.

From 2029 to 2033, YouTube will hold the global streaming rights to the Oscars. The platform will also carry related programming, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.

“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and academy president Lynette Howell Taylor.

“The Academy is an international organisation, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community.”

While major award shows have added streaming options, the YouTube deal is the first among the “big four” — the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys — to move entirely away from broadcast television. The ceremony, one of the most-watched non-NFL broadcasts, will now be available through Google’s platform, which has around 2 billion viewers.

The Academy Awards will stream for free worldwide on YouTube and will also be accessible to YouTube TV subscribers. The broadcast will include multiple audio tracks and closed captioning.

“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honouring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube. “Partnering with the academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film-lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”

The Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC has been the broadcast home to the Oscars for almost its entire history. NBC first televised the Oscars in 1953, but ABC picked up the rights in 1961. Aside from a period between 1971 and 1975, when NBC again aired the show, the Oscars have been on ABC.

“ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network said in a statement. “We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”