YouTube Oscars 2029 Deal Ends ABC Run
YouTube Oscars 2029 secures multi-year exclusive streaming rights starting in 2029, ending ABC's 50-year run and expanding YouTube's ad inventory.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- YouTube secured exclusive global streaming rights to the Oscars starting in 2029 under a multi-year agreement.
- The deal ends ABC's roughly 50-year U.S. broadcast streak and moves the ceremony to free global streaming.
- The shift adds a marquee live event to YouTube's ad inventory and intensifies competition with broadcasters.
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YouTube will exclusively stream the Oscars starting with the 101st ceremony in 2029 under a multi-year agreement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This deal ends ABC’s roughly 50-year U.S. broadcast streak and shifts the ceremony to free global streaming.
Deal Scope and Distribution
YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), secured exclusive global streaming rights for the main Oscars telecast beginning in 2029. The ceremony will be available free worldwide on YouTube and on YouTube TV, the platform’s virtual pay-TV service, in the U.S. One report describes the agreement as a four-year term, implying coverage through 2032.
ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company, has broadcast the Oscars in the U.S. for about five decades. The current domestic and international telecast partnerships between the Academy and Disney extend through the 2028 ceremony and will expire or be adjusted before YouTube’s rights take effect.
Industry and Strategic Impact
The shift places YouTube in direct competition with traditional broadcasters and streaming rivals for marquee live events. Securing the Oscars adds a high-profile, advertiser-relevant property to YouTube’s live programming portfolio, expanding Alphabet’s addressable inventory in the live-event market.
The Academy’s move toward a digital-first, globally accessible distribution model could reshape advertising and sponsorship strategies. YouTube’s platform allows commercial packages tied to targeted, data-driven advertising rather than linear time slots. Free worldwide availability combined with audience segmentation creates a new template for monetizing one of the year’s largest entertainment events, potentially prompting broadcasters and advertisers to reconsider allocations between linear and digital channels.
Reports of the agreement surfaced on December 17, 2025 (ET). There is no indication the deal will trigger antitrust review, as it is a content licensing and distribution arrangement rather than a merger or acquisition.
