The Oscars are moving to YouTube: this is what the new era of the biggest movie spectacle will look like.

 

The Oscars ceremony will undergo a historic shift starting in 2029: the gala will leave broadcast television in the United States and begin airing on [platform name missing]. YouTube, free and globalThe agreement, already signed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Google's video platform, breaks with more than half a century of broadcasts linked to the ABC network.

This movement not only affects the American public, but It opens the door to much easier access for viewers in Spain and the rest of Europe., accustomed until now to following the ceremony through pay channels or specific agreements on pay television and streaming platforms.

A historic agreement between the Academy and YouTube

The Academy has confirmed that YouTube will have exclusive global rights to the gala starting in 2029The year in which the 101st edition of the awards will be held. The contract extends, at a minimum, until 2033, guaranteeing several complete editions under this new digital model.

Until then, the final stretch of the television era will remain in the hands of Disney ABC, which will continue broadcasting until the 100th Academy Awards in 2028. It will be the end of a cycle that began in the seventies, when ABC acquired the broadcasting rights and turned the gala into a fixed event on the American television calendar.

In the official statement, the Academy's president, Lynette Howell Taylor, and its executive director, Bill Kramer, argued that The organization needed a global partner with a massive reach and the ability to reach new generations of viewers. YouTube, with its virtually ubiquitous presence on mobile devicesConnected TVs and computers have been chosen to pilot this transition.

For his part, Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, has emphasized that the Oscars are “an essential cultural institution” and that the alliance is designed to inspire new generations of creators and film fans around the world, without giving up on the historical legacy of the ceremony.

From traditional television to global streaming

The change in model comes in a context of continued decline in linear television viewershipespecially in the United States. Data from firms like Nielsen shows how, in just a few years, broadcast and cable networks have been losing ground to video-on-demand platforms and online services.

In the specific case of the Oscars, the evolution has been striking: of record highs above 50 million viewers In the United States in the late nineties, audiences have dropped to around 18 or 19 million in the most recent editions, with a particularly sharp decline in 2021, when the gala barely exceeded 10 million viewers in the country.

This trend has reduced the event's commercial appeal for traditional networks. According to various estimates, Disney would have been paying around $75 million annually for the rights to the gala, a figure that is increasingly difficult to justify given the decline in advertising revenue and viewership.

At the same time, YouTube has established itself as one of the most consumed platforms also on the big screenIts use in connected tvs And devices like Chromecast or Smart TV have seen a surge in usage, to the point of competing head-to-head with services like Netflix in viewing time, which puts it in a privileged position to handle an event of this magnitude.

Free and borderless access

One of the key points of the agreement is that The Oscars can be watched for free and live on YouTube from any country. wherever the platform is available, without needing to subscribe to a paid channel or depend on specific territorial agreements.

Until now, the international distribution of the gala was negotiated country by countryIn Spain, for example, streaming has historically been linked to pay-TV services like Movistar Plus+, while in much of Latin America it was broadcast via TNT and other Warner channels. From 2029 onwards, everything will be unified under the YouTube brand.

For the European public, this means that simply accessing the official channel of the Academy or the space enabled by YouTube to follow the gala and associated events without going through local intermediaries. It remains to be seen whether some networks in Spain and the rest of Europe will choose to broadcast the YouTube signal or produce special programs in parallel, but direct access will, in any case, be universal.

In addition, the platform promises features designed for a diverse audience: Subtitles and audio tracks in multiple languagesThis is especially relevant for non-English-speaking countries and can significantly improve the experience of those following the ceremony in the early hours from Europe.

Coverage that goes far beyond just the gala

The agreement isn't limited to the awards ceremony night. The Academy and YouTube have agreed on a comprehensive coverage of the entire Oscars ecosystemThis will result in a continuous brand presence on the platform throughout the year.

Among the confirmed contents are the red carpet, the announcement of the nominations, the Governors Awards (the honorary Oscars gala), the traditional nominees' luncheon and the awards dedicated to students, as well as the scientific and technical awards, which until now tended to go largely unnoticed by the general public.

The alliance also includes Interviews with Academy members and filmmakers, podcasts, educational programs about film and pieces that review the history of the awards or break down their inner workings. In other words, not only is the distribution of the gala being expanded, but the entire ecosystem of content linked to the institution is being strengthened. This type of content It can involve content creators and producers worldwide.

This approach fits with YouTube's logic, which is very focused on the continuous production of videos and serial formatsThe platform can combine high-impact live streams with short content, analysis, recaps, and collaborations with creators specializing in film, criticism, or audiovisual culture, something that can be especially engaging for younger audiences.

Google Arts & Culture and the digitization of the film legacy

Another pillar of the agreement is collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, the initiative of the technology giant dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage through digital experiences.

Within this framework, it has been announced that the online access to selected exhibitions and programs from the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, a relatively recent space that houses key pieces of film history.

In addition, the project includes the progressive digitization of the Academy Collection, considered the world's largest dedicated to the seventh art, with more than 52 million items including documents, objects, photographs and audiovisual materials.

If all goes according to plan, film fans from Spain, Europe, or any other region will be able to explore for free from home. a part of that archive that has so far been largely reserved for researchers and on-site visitorsThis reinforces the cultural and educational dimension of the agreement beyond the one-night spectacle.

Impact on the industry and paradigm shift in Hollywood

The Oscars' move to YouTube is seen in Hollywood as yet another symptom of the structural shift towards streamingAlthough other ceremonies have already taken steps in that direction — such as the SAG Awards, which moved to Netflix — the move of the most well-known film awards to an online platform represents a symbolic blow to traditional television.

In terms of audience, the strategy is clear: Take advantage of YouTube's more than 2.000 billion monthly active users to transform a gala that, despite still being important, no longer concentrated the public's attention as in past decades.

For the Academy itself, the move also fits with its intention to reinforce its status as a truly international organizationIn recent years, the number of voters from outside the United States has increased, and the focus has broadened to include films from around the world, with European, Latin American, and Asian films achieving victories that have broken Hollywood's exclusive dominance.

By concentrating distribution on a single global platform, the institution relies on to sell advertising more efficiently and reach audiences that until now barely approached the ceremony, both due to access barriers and simply due to lack of knowledge or lack of television viewing habits.

Everything points to YouTube's entry as the "home" of the Oscars marking a turning point. a new stage in the relationship between the grand spectacle of cinema and the world audienceFrom Spain and the rest of Europe, it will be possible to follow the gala and everything surrounding it without going through pay television, with more content, more accessible and more adapted to current digital habits, in a move that makes it clear to what extent the center of gravity of entertainment has already shifted to online platforms.