Hollywood was caught off guard while analyzing the news regarding the imminent sale of Warner Bros. when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed that the Oscars would be available for free streaming on YouTube starting in 2029. The Academy, which has been presenting the esteemed awards ceremony since 1929, emphasized this choice as a benefit for film enthusiasts across the globe.

“YouTube will assist in making the Oscars reachable to the Academy’s expanding worldwide audience through functionalities like closed captioning and audio tracks offered in various languages,” mentioned the Academy in a press release.

The Academy Awards will be openly available on YouTube, extending beyond just YouTube TV subscribers in the U.S. Additional events related to the Oscars, including the nominees’ luncheon, the technical awards ceremony, and red carpet coverage, will also be viewable on YouTube. The partnership with YouTube, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will also enable digital access to selected exhibitions from the Academy’s museum in Los Angeles and aid in the digitization of parts of the museum’s vast collection of celluloid artifacts.

At present, the Oscars are aired on Disney-owned ABC and its streaming platform, Hulu, which will persist until the 100th Academy Awards in 2028. The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards are set to be revealed on January 22, 2026, with the ceremony planned for March 15 in Los Angeles.