YouTube in Talks to Snag Oscars Rights, Challenging ABC’s Longtime Hold

YouTube, the world’s biggest video platform, may soon be aiming for Hollywood’s biggest night. According to two people familiar with the talks, the Google-owned site has asked about buying the rights to broadcast the Academy Awards.

The Oscars have aired on ABC for decades, with the current deal running through 2028. But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already negotiating for the future, and YouTube has jumped into the conversation.

If the deal went through, it would be a seismic shift. ABC and parent company Disney have long been tied to the show, and moving the broadcast to YouTube would be a major statement about how much the entertainment world has changed.

YouTube has been working hard to prove itself in live programming. The platform already owns the rights to the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, has competed for other sports deals, and just last week bragged about the huge numbers tuning in to see Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast live, boosted by the Taylor Swift effect.

Taking over the Oscars would be even bigger. The awards show has been losing viewers year after year, and the Academy has been looking for ways to stay relevant. Moving the ceremony to YouTube could draw in younger audiences, especially since the site is already the most-watched video platform in the world. As the article notes, “Supplanting ABC and Disney as the official home of the Academy Awards… would be a huge statement from YouTube and a shock to the industry.”

Not long ago, Hollywood looked at YouTube as an enemy, a place where pirated content spread without control. Today, the company is one of the largest forces in entertainment, and hosting the Oscars would cement that status.

Still, nothing is guaranteed. ABC has the broadcast locked up until at least 2028, and the Academy is weighing offers from several bidders. Some of those rivals can bring both traditional television networks and streaming platforms to the table, along with the advantage of owning movie studios that still rely heavily on theatrical releases. For the Academy, the decision will come down to which deal brings in the most money and the widest reach.

The Oscars may still be Hollywood’s most prestigious awards show, but the business around it is changing fast. YouTube’s interest shows how the lines between old media and new media continue to blur. As the negotiations play out, one thing is clear: the fight to host the Oscars is now a battle between the past and the future of entertainment.

First reported by Bloomberg.

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