Academy Awards moving to YouTube because streaming is king
Hollywood award-season anchor, the Oscars, is making a dramatic exit from broadcast television and moving to YouTube in 2029. This seismic shift ends more than half a century of airing on ABC and embraces the platform where most of the internet already watches everything else in 10 minute segments.
Why the move? “YouTube will help make the Oscars accessible to the Academy’s growing global audience through features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in multiple languages,” according to Wednesday’s release.
ABC’s response: In a statement, ABC said it has been the proud home of the Oscars for more than half a century. “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,” the network added.
Details on the deal: The red carpet coverage will be live and free to over 2 billion viewers globally. The Google Arts & Culture initiative will also digitize parts of the Academy Collection –the largest film-related collection in the world, according to officials. ABC will air the Oscars through the 100th ceremony in 2028.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that, starting with the 101st Oscars ceremony in 2029, YouTube will be the exclusive global streaming home for the Oscars through 2033, including red-carpet coverage and related events. The livestream will be free worldwide, with closed captions and multiple audio tracks. ABC will ride out its contract through the 100th ceremony in 2028, but after that the golden statuettes will ask you to like and subscribe.
If the Emmys did likewise that would be ironic indeed (that is, the award for television programming abandoning television) (fun fact: 'Emmy' is somehow derived from "image orthicon tube" a component of early television cameras) Should there be 'Cellies' or 'Mobes'? as movies are now most typically viewed there?