YouTube has won the rights to stream the Oscars, after decades of it being broadcast on network TV. The ceremony will be available live and for free on the platform. The move marks the end of ABC’s 50-year run as the Academy Awards’ exclusive broadcaster. The deal also symbolizes streaming’s growing influence within the film industry. The Academy and YouTube say the new partnership will allow them to expand access to the largest worldwide audience possible. Ratings for the Oscars have declined in recent years, with viewership down to less than 20 million, compared to 57 million viewers in 1998. The Academy Awards first aired on NBC in 1953, with ABC taking the reins in the 1960s. Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars nine times throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but after subsequent hosts provided questionable performances, the Academy did away with a host altogether. The platform’s first show will be the 101st Oscar ceremony in 2029.
