Oscars Will Stream Free on YouTube Beginning in 2029

The Academy Awards are cord-cutting. Starting in 2029, the Oscars are moving from ABC to stream live, free and globally on YouTube — with the U.S. broadcast delivered through YouTube TV. The multiyear agreement will see the ceremony broadcast through 2033 and end a network run that began with ABC’s first telecast of the ceremony in 1976.

For home viewers, that means easier access and a more extensive selection of digital features. For the entertainment industry, it marks a watershed moment: One of television’s last mass-audience shows has caught up with a platform built for on-demand and mobile and connected-TV viewing at internet scale.

Why the Move Matters for the Oscars and YouTube Audiences

YouTube has both the reach of a global video platform and the living-room presence of a top connected TV app. Google now says YouTube attracts more than 2 billion logged-in users a month worldwide and Nielsen’s The Gauge has repeatedly listed YouTube as the top streaming service on U.S. televisions, typically above Netflix in share of TV viewing.

That scale is what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is pursuing as linear ratings fragment. By shifting to a platform where younger and international audiences already watch long-form and live content, the Oscars are setting themselves up for a new growth cycle rather than defying the law of cord-cutting.

What Viewers Can Expect From YouTube’s Oscars Coverage

YouTube’s package is developed to cover more than the main telecast. The service will include the live ceremony, red carpet and backstage access, the Governors Ball and an expanded slate of shoulder programming. The Academy’s official channel also will stream the Governors Awards, nominations announcements, the nominees luncheon, interviews and podcasts, as well as film-education materials.

The Academy has said that YouTube will offer closed captions and multiple audio tracks in several languages. Live, semi-scripted happenings can be notoriously difficult to accurately and swiftly caption and translate, but Google has several years to refine latency, reliability and localization on the fly. What to watch for: Whether the stream will have 4K HDR, how live chat is going to be moderated and how YouTube incorporates creator-driven companion coverage.

The Ratings Context for the Oscars in the Streaming Era

The Oscars has seen a long-term slide in viewership from its peaks of the late 1990s. According to NBC News, the telecast pulled in an audience of about 55 million viewers back in 1998 during the Titanic sweep; the current one nabbed just around 20 million. The audience remains one of television’s largest, but the makeup has changed along with broader declines in cable and broadcast households.

By going free to stream worldwide, the Academy is gambling that reducing friction — no paywall, no cable login — can unlock casual and global viewers even as appointment viewing remains available for fans who are watching on connected TVs. The algorithmic distribution, Shorts clips and creator partnerships of YouTube could also amplify cultural moments as they happen in real time (not just the morning after).

Business and Ad Strategy for a Free Global Live Stream

Anticipate an ad-supported model with premium sponsorships, shoppable moments and interactive formats designed for connected TV viewing. YouTube has spent years wooing brand bucks with its upfront-style Brandcast, and now it controls huge live tentpoles like NFL Sunday Ticket, showing that it can deliver broadcast-scale audiences with digital targeting.

Measurement will be closely scrutinized. Advertisers will demand apples-to-apples metrics compared with traditional TV. Analyzing third-party systems such as Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings and cross-media solutions will continue to be foundational in validating reach, frequency and performance across screens.

A Broader Awards-Show Realignment Across Streaming Platforms

The Oscars shift is one of a broader migration. Netflix signed a multiyear agreement to stream the SAG Awards, which were recently renamed the Actor Awards. The Grammys and Golden Globes are now among a number of awards shows to stream on Paramount+ alongside CBS. Awards shows increasingly are digital-first showcases rather than network-only specials as streamers pursue live programming that can still attract millions in a single window.

What It Portends for ABC and the Future of Legacy TV

ABC’s decade-long commitment to the Academy continues through 2028, but the handoff highlights a reality that broadcast networks are contending with — even the sturdiest live tentpoles must consider distribution beyond linear TV. Look for networks to double down on sports and news coverage but also experiment with hybrid distribution for the big events.

For the Academy, success will be measured by something beyond raw view counts but also by global engagement — how long people adhere to their living-room screens, how quickly standout moments go viral across Shorts and social platforms and whether younger viewers establish new traditions around cinema’s biggest night. If the audience bounces back on YouTube, this might be the blueprint for the next era of live cultural events.