Will we be watching 2029’s Academy Awards on YouTube?
That’s one possibility as streaming and broadcast giants position themselves to potentially take over as the streaming/broadcast home of the Oscars after ABC’s contract ends in 2028. According to a Bloomberg newsletter, Google’s YouTube is now in the running as a potential Oscars suitor, joining companies such as Netflix and NBCUniversal as a possible new home for the awards.
Like Netflix, YouTube has been increasingly become interested in hosting major live events such as the NFL Sunday Ticket, which moved there in 2023. Of course, it’s also possible that ABC, which is owned by Disney, will renew its contract. The network has aired the Oscars since 1976.
But reports since earlier this year have suggested that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been exploring other options, either to find a new place for the Oscars or as a negotiating ploy.
While it’s still a big live event, the awards show has had diminishing ratings over the last 10 years, though the 2025 ceremony had the highest viewership in five years. The Oscars were shown on Hulu as well as ABC.
