Potential Oscars Shake-Up: YouTube Sets Its Sights on the Academy Awards
Can YouTube take over ABC's long-held reins on the Academy Awards?
A new report from Bloomberg indicates that YouTube, which is owned by Google, is interested in obtaining the rights to air the Academy Awards.
What’s Happening:
- The Disney-owned ABC network has had the rights to air the Academy Awards for nearly five decades now, which will continue through at least 2028.
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is currently in negotiations with a variety of players to see who might take on the job of airing the Oscars post-2028, if not Disney.
- Bloomberg points out that a surprise player in the game is YouTube, which has recently demonstrated a growing interest in live events, acquiring the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket and bidding on other live sports.
- YouTube is the single most-watched video platform in the world and this potential move would be a huge statement from the company and a shock to the industry.
- Shifting the program to YouTube would also generate a lot of attention for a show that has been losing relevance each year.
- That being said, this year’s ceremony was considered a success, bringing in more younger viewers – partly due to an impressive turn from first-time host Conan O’Brien.
- He’ll be returning for a second year to host the 98th Oscars, which will air live on Sunday, March 15th, 2026, at 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PDT on ABC.
More Disney TV News:
- Disney Legend Steve Martin, who currently stars in the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, appears to be returning to his Disneyland roots for his latest project.
- Hulu has revealed all of its September 2025 new additions, including a plethora of new true crime docs, new seasons of Only Murders in the Building and Reasonable Doubt, plus Chad Powers starring Glen Powell.
- Disney Channel’s niche of supernatural-themed series is set to continue with the greenlight of Coven Academy, a new single-camera, supernatural dramedy.
- Perhaps thanks to a certain highly-anticipated album release, the release of Marvel Zombies has been moved up at Disney+.
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