The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are widely regarded as the most prestigious and coveted honours in global cinema. For over nine decades, the Oscars have stood as a benchmark of cinematic excellence. However, in a surprising move, the Academy has now decided to leave the ABC network, where it has televised the show till 1960. From 2029, the Oscars will likely be streamed on YouTube.
To understand a little bit of Oscars’ history, the event did not get televised till 1953. It was originally with the NBC network but it went over to ABC in 1960. The relationship lasted for 10 years before the rights went back to NBC. After another 5-year stint, the Oscars returned to ABC and have remained with the network ever since. ABC also made history by broadcasting the Academy Awards in colour for the first time in 1966. However, this long-standing partnership is now nearing its end, as the iconic awards ceremony prepares to move with the times and embrace a new era of broadcasting.
As per the recent reports, the move to shift Oscars to YouTube will give fans a deeper and more personal look into the award ceremony. The Academy is also planning to release other related content, including red carpet pre-show event, BTS coverage and the Governors award footages. All of it will be available for streaming, making content more accessible to fans. The most important update is that the awards show might be available for free to stream, unless the Academy decides to keep it in a subscription-based system on YouTube.
In other news, Homebound has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards 2026 in the Best International Feature Film category, placing it among 15 selected from submissions by 86 countries. Some of the other films in the category include Palestine 36 from Palestine, The Voice of Hind Rajab from Tunisia, No Other Choice from South Korea and The Secret Agent from Brazil.
Also Read: Kiara Advani, Shahid Kapoor and Others React As Homebound Gets Shortlisted for Oscars 2026
