Exclusive Broadcast Rights Through 2033
Free Global Viewing Available
The Academy Awards in the United States will end its more than 70-year run of terrestrial TV broadcasting and will be streamed live worldwide on YouTube starting in 2029. The Oscars are shifting from the traditional broadcast schedule to a global platform.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which organizes the Oscars, announced on the 17th (local time) that it has signed a broadcasting contract with YouTube, a subsidiary of Google (Alphabet). The contract runs for five years, from 2029 to 2033, during which YouTube will hold exclusive broadcasting rights to the Academy Awards.
As a result, viewers will be able to watch the Oscars live from anywhere in the world through YouTube. In addition to the ceremony, the Academy plans to release related events and programs sequentially through its official YouTube channel.
The Oscars were first broadcast on NBC in March 1953, then moved to ABC for about ten years starting in 1961. The broadcast returned to NBC before ABC, under Disney, took over in 1976. The Academy will maintain its partnership with ABC through the 100th Oscars in 2028.
According to Bloomberg News, Disney reportedly paid about $75 million per year (approximately 110.9 billion won) for the Oscars broadcasting rights. The terms of the contract between the Academy and YouTube have not been disclosed.
This agreement includes not only broadcasting rights but also cooperation in digitizing the Academy's archival materials. Google will assist in digitizing part of the "Academy Collection," which consists of more than 52 million items. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stated, "Our collaboration with the Academy will honor the Oscars' long-standing tradition while helping to reach a new generation and film lovers around the world."
This decision by the Oscars demonstrates a shift in the tradition of awards show broadcasting, which has long centered on American terrestrial television. It is seen as highly symbolic that the Academy has chosen simultaneous access and global reach through a global platform, moving away from a system constrained by region, time zone, and programming schedule.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
