The Academy Awards have been broadcast since 1953. For the past seven decades, they have been broadcast by ABC or NBC.

But the days of movie fans watching Hollywood’s night of nights on an FTA TV channel seem to be drawing to a close.

ABC’s decades-long stranglehold on the event is expected to end after the 2028 ceremony, when its broadcast deal ends.

America’s TV networks are still eager to broadcast the Oscars.

But not content with stealing many sporting fixtures away from the legacy TV broadcasters, deep-pocketed, content-hungry rivals are increasingly gunning for other prestigious content.

Back in March, Bloomberg reported that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences “has begun the hunt for the Academy Awards’ next TV home” and “spoken informally with new potential partners, including Netflix.”

Yesterday, Bloomberg ran through a list of potential suitors. It included traditional host ABC, now owned by Walt Disney, as well as Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Paramount’s CBS, Amazon and Netflix.
YouTube, which has been on a content-buying spree of late, was also mentioned.

While a YouTube-Oscars tie-up wouldn’t be without risk, it could prove to be a masterstroke for both parties.

Strictly speaking, YouTube is a video-sharing platform rather than a streamer. Nonetheless, it’s competing for the same eyeballs as the streamers and increasingly behaving like one.

But despite its massive revenues and cultural influence, YouTube doesn’t currently have the cachet of its streamer rivals or, arguably, even a TV network. Landing the Oscars would give the Google-owned YouTube the mainstream legitimacy it craves.

Big Tech is now reshaping the film industry

Such a deal has plenty of potential upsides for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as well.

YouTube is the world’s most-visited video platform, with around 2.7 billion monthly active users.

With television audiences shrinking, the platform’s global reach and younger-skewing demographic offer a chance to boost the Academy Awards’ fading relevance and declining ratings.

YouTube’s short-form clips and viral distribution would also extend the event’s life beyond a single broadcast. This short-form content could create more engagement, buzz and advertiser interest than any TV network could deliver.