YouTube and Oscars are all set to join hands in a historic agreement, which is expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the way the Oscars are currently presented before the international audience. Starting 2029, YouTube is all set to become the live streaming partner for the Oscars. This will mark as an end to the long-standing domination of the event by traditional television broadcasting. The first agreement would remain valid till 2033.
This is a symbolic moment for the Academy. The 2028 Oscars will honor a milestone 100th year of this event and will be part of the final broadcast of ABC’s more than five-decade partnership. The year after will mark a new chapter in a YouTube-distributed Oscars event. One of the longest-running events in movie culture marks a new start.
YouTube and Oscars: What the New Deal Entails
The partnership between YouTube and the Oscars is more encompassing than a one-night event of awards. The partnership involves live and free broadcasting of the Oscars event on YouTube, and for viewers within the U.S., the primary service provider will be YouTube TV. In addition, there will be coverage of the red carpet event, behind-the-scenes footage, and live streaming of the subsequent events of the Academy, such as the Oscar nominations and the Governors Ball.
An important part of the agreement is the partnership with the Google Arts & Culture team. They will partner with the Academy to digitize some of the Academy Collection and some of the exhibits at the Academy Museum. The project has been designed to achieve the transformation of the Oscars from an annual event to a year-round experience for film enthusiasts, where history, archives, and curated content will be offered around cinema.
Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, mentioned that the alliance is carefully crafted to pay tribute to the Oscars’ heritage while inspiring the next generation of audiences and creators in keeping with the ever-gaining importance of the platform in the entertainment culture of the world.
Why YouTube and Oscars Make Sense Together
Bringing YouTube and Oscars together is a response to changing audience behavior. Today, the number of people watching the Oscars has continuously decreased over the last two decades to a level that has fallen from their late 20th-century peak. This is because the younger generations drift away from live TV and embrace OTT and online platforms like YouTube in a manner that lends itself easily to reaching younger audiences.
As YouTube boasts over two billion logged-in viewers monthly, the Academy gains the opportunity to reach fans outside the regular television market reach. Furthermore, most geographical and accessibility hurdles created by television and cable television stations no longer exist, as fans everywhere can watch the Oscars on YouTube.
Creators, Cinema, and Cultural Balance
One of the most interesting aspects of the partnership between YouTube and the Oscars would be how the YouTube creator-driven identity integrates into the traditional setting of the Oscar Awards. Today, the YouTube community has actually shaped how films are made or have influenced film reviews being done on YouTube.
Nevertheless, it is important for the Academy to find itself a balance and keep in mind that embracing online culture may have bad effects on traditional audiences, and neglecting YouTube’s creative culture may cause it to miss out on this opportunity to better itself. In this case, it is probable that it would find itself in a subtle integration.
