Online streaming platform YouTube has bought the rights for live streaming the famous Academy Awards, from its 101st edition, in 2029. This is part of a multi-year deal lasting till 2033.
Speaking on the imminent partnership between the Academy and YouTube, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a joint statement, “The Academy is an international organisation, 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.”
End of an Era
Separately, YouTube’s television reach has also grown significantly over the years, in addition to its near mandatory presence on all phones and laptops. Moreover, news reports talk of decreasing eyeballs tracking the Oscars when telecast by ABC. The highest viewership the Oscars ever pulled was in 1998 with 57 million people. Viewership hit a record low during Covid, garnering 10.4 million, and in the last year rose to 19.7 million viewers on ABC.
Bypassing the Gatekeepers
The Academy is not the only one taking their business to the mass dissemination and democratic platform of YouTube. We have seen more of this in India as well, with Aamir Khan releasing his newest film in a pay-per view format on YouTube. The film Sitaare Zameen Par first had its theatrical release in June 2025. A month after the film’s run in theatres, Khan released the film on YouTube under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions. In a statement to the press the actor-producer had said, “This is my private cinema chain.
Think of it like Aamir Khan Productions has opened a new cinema chain, which is in everyone’s house and in everyone’s pocket… I got good offers from OTT channels. But I don’t want those Rs 100-125 crore from OTT channels. I want to earn Rs 100 from my audience. I prefer that more.” Another more recent example is the release of Leonardo DiCaprio’s most recent film One Battle After Another. After its theatrical release on IMAX screens in September 2025, it was released on AppleTV and PrimeVideo in certain countries, and worldwide on YouTube where it can be bought or rented as well.
In an unexpected move last year, Warner Bros released a list of 31 films on YouTube for free. These movies include titles across decades, many of which are not even available on other streaming platforms yet, and include Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, The Adventures of Pluto Nash starring Eddie Murphy, Oh, God! featuring George Burns in the titular role, The Mission starring Robert De Niro, among many others. Warner Bros has often used streaming platforms to keep their content and films relevant and available for the public, and has only in the past year made space for YouTube in the arena.
American pop artiste Lady Gaga in December 2025 filmed a live concert at Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, which she released as ‘Lady Gaga in Harlequin Live — One Night Only’ on YouTube for free.
Aside from being a video posting and streaming platform, YouTube has grown into a kind of catch-all medium for all types of content — be it programmed episodes or standalone short films, now including globally renowned film titles as well, and streaming rights for historic events. The desperate need of distributors to reach as many audiences as possible has grown from the now limiting parameters of the abundant streaming platforms available for download. YouTube pay or rent per view format presents as more democratic for the producer/distributor and the artistes, with a potential for gaining both higher revenue in the long run.
Rather than paying for monthly subscriptions for streaming platforms, audiences would much prefer paying a nominal amount to watch specifically what they are interested in. More and more production houses are becoming conscious of this shift in landscape, and are trying to stay ahead of the curve, like the Academy. However, before the 2029 Oscars hit YouTube screens, we will likely have witnessed a lot more traffic and content coming through our YouTube suggestion feeds, for much less money than we currently pay.