Oscars will be exclusively streamed on YouTube from 2029: Who will host until then?

Oscars will be exclusively streamed on YouTube from 2029 as the video-format giant has obtained the rights to do so, as announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

YouTube’s first Oscars broadcast will be the 101st ceremony in 2029, and the agreement will be extended through 2033. Until 2028, ABC will continue to air the event, TechCrunch reported.

The development puts an end to ABC's long-standing association with the awards show, which has aired since 1961, excluding the brief pause in the early 1970s.

Although the financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, it marks a shift in how one of television's marquee events will be presented.

YouTube will provide live streaming for free to over 2 billion global viewers, as well as to YouTube TV subscribers in the U.S. 

It comes as Oscar viewership has declined from 55 million in 1998 to around 20 million in recent years, which led the Academy to seek new ways to engage audiences.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor displayed zest and zeal for the partnership, emphasising its potential to expand access to Academy programming.

Not only will YouTube stream the ceremony, but it will also provide red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, and more, in a bid to lock in a new generation of film lovers.

This will be a historic moment, the first time a major awards show will bid farewell to traditional broadcast television for streaming entirely.