According to a report by Bloomberg dated August 18, 2025, YouTube is now attempting to host the Academy Awards. As per Deadline, while the award show had been aired on ABC for years, several other media companies have been attempting to get the place.

Bloomberg reported that two individuals familiar with the situation had confirmed that YouTube had been attempting to buy the rights to the Academy Awards. While the reports had been mentioned by two insiders, YouTube has yet to confirm the same. Bloomberg further added that even if YouTube is fighting for the rights, it won't happen at least until 2028. 

The #Oscars may soon stream on #YouTube—and that’s huge. With TV ratings in decline, shifting to a digital-first platform means interactive features, global reach, and access to younger audiences. This isn’t just a broadcast change—it’s the future of live entertainment.

— Justo Global (@justoglobal) August 18, 2025

According to reports by the outlet, the Academy Awards will continue to air on ABC till at least 2028. Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences had also found itself in the middle of negotiations. It had further been reported that the bidders could ensure providing both a broadcast network and a streaming service.

A September 2024 article by Deadline reported a statement by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer, in which he was talking about the next deal surrounding the award show. According to Kramer, while their partnership with Disney-ABC had been "amazing", he confirmed that the next deal would be "very lucrative" irrespective of who got the rights.

Kramer said,

"Like any healthy organization, we need diverse revenue to sustain our operations. So much of the money that comes in is tied to our deal with Disney/ABC for the Oscars telecast."

For the unversed, the deal between Disney-ABC and the Oscars was set to end in 2020. However, in 2016, the deal got extended for another eight years, that is, till 2028. YouTube had recently been seen to have developed an interest in live events such as bidding in several sports and acquiring the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket.

ABC first broadcasted Oscars back in 1961

Amid the speculations about which streaming or broadcasting giant would be responsible for hosting the Academy Awards after 2028, it is worth mentioning more about the deal between ABC and the Oscars. For the unversed, the Oscars were first broadcast by NBC during the period from 1953 to 1960.

Before that, the Oscars were not televised dinner events and thus required no broadcasting or streaming. From 1961, the Oscars signed a deal with ABC, and it continued for about ten years till 1970. From 1971 to 1975, the awards show was again broadcast on NBC. Then, finally, in 1976, the awards show signed a deal with ABC for the second time, and it is still ongoing.

According to Bloomberg, if YouTube became the host for the Academy Awards in the future, it could prove to be beneficial not just for the platform but for the program as well. As of now, it is unclear who will be the host of the Academy Awards after 2028, once the deal with ABC comes to an end. 

YouTube hosting The Oscars would be a wild shift. Livestreams, comments, memes in real time? The internet’s not ready. 👀🎥🏆

— Francis Xavier 💵🇺🇲 (@FrancissXavieer) August 18, 2025

It had further been reported that there is a possibility that NBC will become a part of the bidding. Meanwhile, netizens had taken to social media platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing their take on the news about YouTube inquiring about buying the rights to the Academy Awards.

While some X users believed that this move could bring the Academy Awards to a wider audience. Others felt that YouTube should not be trying to buy the rights to an award show that was "dead." A user wrote,

"Why would they wanna buy a dead/dying awards show? Waste of money."

Meanwhile, another one tweeted,

"This move would bring the oscars to a way bigger audience."

Streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix have been expressing interest in live sports

On August 11, 2025, Bloomberg published an article suggesting that streaming giants like Apple, Netflix, and YouTube had become interested in live sports. A lot of events like the Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball have entered their streaming era.

According to the article, while Walt Disney, Paramount Global and Warner Bros remained big names in the live sports streaming genre, there was only a limit to how much they could spend. Meaning streaming platforms like Apple, Netflix, and YouTube usually have huge amounts to spend if they want to.

YouTube is exploring a landmark deal to acquire broadcast rights to the Academy Awards, sources say. The Google-owned platform has inquired about taking over the Oscars, which have aired on ABC for nearly 50 years. While ABC holds the rights through 2028, the Academy is weighing… pic.twitter.com/vOAYGY5cjN

— Rifnote (@viarifnote) August 18, 2025

The article further suggested that these days, people tend to spend more time on streaming platforms than on cable or traditional channels. Thus, it could be more profitable for live events to choose streaming platforms.

No further information about YouTube entering the bid war to host the Academy Awards could be found as of now. As far as the Oscars are concerned, the next Academy Awards are set to take place in March 2026 and will be aired on Disney-ABC, as per their deal that has been continuing since the 1970s.