While the Oscars are still Hollywood’s biggest night, they just aren’t quite as big anymore.
Streaming has radically reshaped the viewing habits of people around the world, but the Oscars have struggled to conform to modernity for decades.
That all changes in 2029 when the Oscars will abandon its safe broadcast home and be livestreamed by the biggest platform in the world. That’s right, YouTube will be the new home for the Academy Awards, and the service will hold exclusive global rights to the show through 2033.
What does this mean for viewers? Well, it looks like the Oscars could get a whole lot better.
Watch With Us breaks down why airing the Oscars on YouTube could save the struggling awards show.
YouTube Will Make the Show Accessible to More People
The Oscars are, in fact, Hollywood’s biggest night, yet they have stopped being accessible. The Oscars are broadcast on ABC, but no one really watches broadcast networks anymore. While the Oscars are also available to stream live on Hulu, that costs money. Hulu + Live TV isn’t cheap, with even the basic package far pricier than your standard rate for Netflix or HBO Max. The world has become more streaming-centered, but people are also overly inundated with too many subscriptions. Who wants to be burdened with even more?
Thus, moving the Oscars to YouTube not only gives everyone free access to the awards ceremony it also allows the show to be seen on a global scale. This feels especially important now, as panic sets in over the future of the industry in the wake of the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal. In order to adapt to a future that emphasizes the importance of filmmaking and movie-watching, there is no better act than to open up the industry’s biggest showcase to everyone on Earth. This YouTube deal allows more eyes on the Oscars while establishing the show as willing to adapt to modern realities.
The Oscars Can Reach a Younger, More Social Media-Savvy Audience
Despite what many naysayers like to grumble about, it’s clear from the thousands of posts on X and videos on TikTok that young people love cinema. The problem is, the industry’s biggest awards show has never been willing to meet modern young people where they are. By broadcasting the show on a major social media platform, the Oscars will be able to be viewed by young generations where they are actually consuming their content.
Think about it: YouTube offers plenty of awards show quick moments for free — such as Mikey Madison accepting her Best Actress Oscar last year — which garner hundreds of thousands of views. People are coming out in droves to watch these Oscar clips for free on social media; it makes sense to move the entire ceremony to a website where many people already are, watching and ready. Plus, most young people prefer to watch things on their phones and tablets rather than on their televisions. Thus, this move is both accessible to traditional television viewers while also accommodating the social media-savvy audience members.
Streaming Allows for Experimentation and Recognition
Over the years, the Oscars have increasingly experienced the pressures to conform to broadcast television constraints despite the ceremony itself ballooning: more nominees, more categories and more winners played off the stage before they could finish their speeches. Meanwhile, technical awards get relegated to commercial breaks. But in 2029, the Oscars will no longer have to worry about shrinking themselves at the expense of their artists and craftspeople. With broadcast TV out the window, the Oscars can be as long as it needs to be. Every category can be recognized, every winner can have the time and space to deliver their full speech and the Academy can truly practice what it preaches: show that every aspect of filmmaking is important.
At the same time, the move to a social-driven platform means that the Oscars now have the creative freedom that they never had before. They will suddenly have greater flexibility, not just in time constraints but also in performances, content and censorship as well. They will no longer have to worry about censoring expletives, they can hire edgier, funnier hosts and they can surprise audiences in exciting new ways. This YouTube-Oscars collaboration is the perfect synthesis of old guard and new blood, while giving long-time movie-lovers the ceremony they deserve.
