The Decline Of Hollywood : Oscars Announces Move from Network TV to YouTube
Hollywood sign Credit: Creative Commons
In a sign of Hollywood’s shifting priorities, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that the Academy Awards will leave network television and stream exclusively on YouTube starting in 2029.
The Oscars will continue to air on ABC through 2028, marking the ceremony’s 100th anniversary.
Television ratings for the awards show have been steadily declining for years, a trend critics attribute to a growing disconnect between Hollywood and mainstream audiences. Many viewers say they’ve tuned out due to the ceremony’s increasing focus on political messaging from celebrities, rather than the films themselves. The trend has produced record-low viewership numbers in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
According to the Associated Press, YouTube has secured global streaming rights for the Oscars through 2033, making it the official home for all Oscars content, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards, and the announcement of nominations.
“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community.”
In recent years, the Oscars have become a platform for politically charged statements. The Academy has implemented diversity rules requiring films to meet at least two of four specified benchmarks to be eligible for Best Picture. In 2023, Best Supporting Actress winner Jamie Lee Curtis drew attention by announcing that she had given her Oscar statue they/them pronouns in support of her transgender daughter, Ruby.
Similarly, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-director Daniel Scheinert thanked his parents for allowing him to dress in drag as a child, receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience.
The political tone of the ceremony has extended to direct attacks on President Donald Trump and his supporters. In 2024, host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a speech widely noted for its criticism of the president.
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