The Oscar Awards ceremony will move house starting in 2029The awards ceremony will leave traditional television in the United States and be streamed live on YouTube worldwide. This move means that one of the most-watched events on the cultural calendar will be available online for free, without the traditional geographical restrictions that previously dictated where and how the ceremony could be viewed.
This change not only affects the main broadcast, but also It redefines the relationship between the Hollywood Academy, television networks, and digital platforms.The agreement with YouTube opens the door for the big night of cinema to become an even more global phenomenon, accessible from Spain, the rest of Europe and any other country with access to the platform, taking advantage of subtitles and audio tracks in multiple languages.
A historic agreement between the Academy and YouTube
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has signed an agreement with YouTube initial five-year contract which guarantees the broadcast of the Oscars from the 101st edition in 2029 until the gala in 2033. During that period, Google's video platform will become the official venue not only for the ceremony, but for the entire ecosystem of activities surrounding the awards.
With this pact, This marks the end of more than half a century of broadcasting on ABC.The US television network that has broadcast the gala uninterruptedly since 1976. The last ceremony to be seen on the network will be in 2028, coinciding with the centenary of the awards, before the signal is permanently moved to the internet.
As the Academy itself has detailed, YouTube will obtain the rights to broadcast on free-to-air television worldwideSo, any user with access to the platform will be able to watch the ceremony at no extra cost. In the United States, the ceremony will also remain part of the YouTube TV offering, the company's paid television service, which competes directly with traditional cable and satellite providers.
The decision is part of an Academy strategy to unify international distribution under a single umbrellawhich until now was very fragmented. Previously, rights were negotiated country by country, with different channels in Spain, France, Germany or the United Kingdom; from 2029, the signal will be centralized on YouTube, with the possibility of supplementing the broadcast with local agreements, but on the same technical and distribution basis.
The entire Oscar universe, not just the ceremony
The agreement goes far beyond the main event. The platform will become the space to follow all events related to the awardsThis expands the Oscars' presence throughout the year. The idea is that the audience won't just tune in during the three-hour ceremony, but will be able to participate in a continuous program.
Confirmed content includes the red carpet preview, the traditional parade of stars before the photographers and cameras; the Governors Ball, the official after-party; and the live announcement of the nominations, one of the most followed moments by the industry and film fans in Europe and the rest of the world.
They will also be integrated the nominees' luncheonThe Academy and YouTube are discussing creating a content ecosystem that includes interviews with members and filmmakers, scientific and technical awards, Governor's honorary awards, and other events usually relegated to secondary television slots. educational programs on film language, specialized podcasts and pieces dedicated to the history of cinema.
For the Spanish and European public, this translates into much broader access to the behind-the-scenes aspects of the OscarsUntil now, many of these events were only seen in news clippings or videos published days later; with the new structure, it will be possible to follow them live or on demand from any device, whether on your mobile phone, computer or smart TV in the living room.
YouTube itself hopes that the Oscars will function as a great showcase for complementary content, from specials with local critics and creators in different languages to formats that explain the voting process, the work of the technical branches or the influence of international cinema on the nominations.
A potential audience of 2.000 billion people
One of the facts that the Academy has highlighted most is the potential audience that YouTube offersThe platform claims to reach some 2.000 billion users worldwide, a figure far exceeding that of US linear television and the traditional audiences of the gala, which were mainly measured in the North American market.
In 1998, the year of TitanicThe ceremony brought together some 55 million viewers, its all-time high according to Nielsen. Since then, the trend has been clearly downward: the lowest point was recorded in 2021, with just 10,4 million people watching the live broadcast in the country, in the midst of a pandemic and with a declining television model.
In recent years there has been some recovery: around 19,5 million in 2024 and close to 19,7 million in 2025If you combine television viewership and consumption on digital platforms, the figures are still far below the levels of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the Oscars were one of the biggest draws for American broadcast television.
The move to YouTube is intended precisely to break with that purely national logicStarting in 2029, the success of the awards show will no longer be measured solely in terms of US ratings, but rather in its ability to attract viewers from multiple countries, time zones, and devices. Measurement will involve global metrics such as views, plays, and watch time, largely controlled by the platform itself.
For users in Spain and Europe, the change has a direct impact: free-to-air broadcasting eliminates access barriers, Avoid relying on one-off agreements with local chains or payment platforms and allows consumption to be adjusted to the schedules and routines of each audience, whether watching the gala live in the early hours or resorting to delayed viewing a few hours later.
Subtitles, audio tracks, and overall focus
Another pillar of the agreement is the commitment to a multilingual experienceThe Oscars broadcast on YouTube will include subtitles and audio tracks in several languages, making it easier for those who don't speak English to follow the ceremony and significantly expanding its reach to new audiences.
In Europe this is especially relevant: markets such as Spain, France, Italy or Germany, where the dubbed and subtitled version is key to audiovisual consumption, They will have more facilities to follow the gala in comfortable conditions.The broadcast on the platform itself will allow viewers to activate or deactivate subtitles, change the language, or retrieve specific moments of the ceremony without depending on the editing of a local network.
The Academy's stated intention is that the Oscars increasingly reflect the diversity of their voter base and the film industries representedIn recent years there has been an increase in nominations and awards for productions from South Korea, France, Germany and other countries, and the global reach of the gala fits with that international vocation.
From YouTube, its CEO, Neal Mohan, has emphasized that the Oscars are “an essential cultural institution” And that bringing them to the platform will help inspire new generations of creators and film lovers around the world. The company believes that massive, free access will encourage future filmmakers to share their own work and use the Google ecosystem as a creative springboard.
For the European film community, the possibility of accessing live speeches, audience reactions, and production details, along with a commentary environment and parallel content, This could solidify the gala as a social event on the internet. more than just a television broadcast that is watched alone.
Google Arts & Culture and the Academy Museum
The agreement between the Academy and YouTube is also supported by the platform Google Arts & CultureThis initiative will strengthen the heritage and educational aspects of the agreement. It will provide digital access to exhibitions and programs at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, as well as to part of the Academy's vast collection.
Is one of the most important film funds in the worldWith over 52 million items, including documents, photographs, props, costume designs, and technical equipment, the digitization and online publication of part of this archive will bring film history closer to students, researchers, and enthusiasts from any European country without the need to physically travel to the United States.
Integrating this content with the YouTube broadcast opens the door to deeper experiences surrounding the OscarsFrom accessing the history of a category before the award is presented, to exploring iconic costumes or storyboards of nominated films while following the gala.
For film schools and educational centers in Spain and other countries, this resource can become a useful tool in the classroom. by allowing the illustration of concepts of directing, editing, or production design with original materials from the Academy's archives. The added visibility also aligns with the institution's goal of positioning itself as an international leader in the preservation and dissemination of film heritage.
Taken together, the alliance with Google Arts & Culture and the sustained presence of content throughout the year paint a picture of a model in which the Oscars cease to be just an annual gala and begin to function as a permanent cultural project, with multiple entry points for very different audiences.
Television in decline and streaming platforms on the rise
The decision to move the Oscars to YouTube cannot be understood without the context of decline of linear television and the rise of on-demand consumption. In the United States, the weight of traditional television in the distribution of the audiovisual pie has declined sharply in recent years, while digital platforms gain market share and consolidate themselves as the preferred option for younger generations.
Recent data cited by the industry itself reflects that television, which not long ago concentrated nearly two-thirds of the audienceIt has seen its market share steadily decline, while YouTube and other streaming services grow. At the same time, the cost of rights to major events like the Oscars has continued to skyrocket, further jeopardizing profitability for traditional broadcasters.
For Disney and ABC, maintaining the agreement meant a considerable financial effort In a context of declining viewership and heavy investment in their own platforms, such as Disney+, the new landscape, with a more fragmented audience and consumption habits very different from those of two decades ago, has made it less attractive to continue bidding for exclusive television rights to the awards ceremony.
In contrast, for YouTube the agreement fits with its position as one of the world's leading audiovisual destinationsWith the financial muscle and technological capacity to manage a broadcast of this magnitude worldwide, the company is strengthening its position as a key player in the realm of major live events, an area where it competes with platforms like Twitch and the streaming services of other large technology companies.
This move turns the Oscars into the first Grand Prix of the Big Four Americans (Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony) that is completely abandoning mainstream television to rely on a single global digital platform, which could set a precedent for other ceremonies in the coming years.
Impact in Spain and on the European public
For viewers in Spain and the rest of Europe, the move to YouTube represents a very clear practical change: easier access and less dependence on local agreementsUntil now, the broadcast of the Oscars on the continent was conditioned by licenses with specific networks or pay platforms, which sometimes limited the reach of the gala or relegated it to less visible times.
From 2029 onwards, all you'll need is an internet connection and access to YouTube to watch the ceremony live. This could translate into an increase in following among young audiencesaccustomed to consuming content on mobile phones, tablets and connected televisions, and less loyal to a fixed channel's programming.
In Spain, movements in that direction have already been seen: Other galas and award ceremonies have experimented with broadcasts on digital platformsAnd some events have found in the internet a space to reach communities that didn't fit well into traditional audience models. The arrival of the Oscars on YouTube also reinforces this trend and may encourage local organizations to explore hybrid formats.
For the European film industry, the increased global visibility of the gala and associated materials can help to to promote the international projection of productions from the continentespecially those nominated in categories such as international feature, documentary, or animation. An environment where audiences can discover trailers, interviews, and analyses in different languages helps non-US films maintain a conversation and reach beyond awards night.
In the professional sphere, the constant presence of content related to the Academy on YouTube and Google Arts & Culture can be beneficial the connection between European filmmakers, film schools and the Hollywood ecosystem, with collaborations, workshops and training resources accessible from any member country of the European Union.
With the move to YouTube, the Oscars are entering a new phase in which Its character as a grand global spectacle fits the current way of watching audiovisual content.Online, on demand, and without borders. The break with decades of broadcast television in the United States marks the end of an era, but also opens up a scenario in which viewers in Spain, Europe, and the rest of the world can follow the gala and its entire universe more directly, for free, and with greater participation than ever before.
