YouTube Bids To Host The Oscars, After 50 Years Of The Same Network

In what would be a major change for the biggest awards show in the movie industry, the Google-owned video platform YouTube is looking to get involved with the Oscars. The website has increased its live events in the era of streaming, but this would be an entirely different beast.

Historically aired on network television, the Oscars have been hosted by ABC for the past 48 years, and will be on ABC until 2028. However, according to two anonymous sources reporting to Bloomberg, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is “in the middle of negotiations” with several parties interested in the rights to air the Oscars, including YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon, among traditional networks.

Earlier this week, YouTube broke records hosting Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast featuring Taylor Swift as she announced her new album. However, hosting the biggest show in Hollywood would take the 20-year-old video platform to entirely new heights, should it win the 2029 Oscars.

What Hosting The Oscars Would Mean For YouTube

Conan O'Brien singing at the 2025 Oscars — Conan O’Brien singing at the 2025 Oscars

It’s not just YouTube — live events are becoming more and more frequent across the age of streaming, a kind of merging of the elements of old-school broadcast television with the perks of the various streaming platforms. In addition to broadcasting live events, streamers such as Disney+ have live channels airing reruns of classic shows.

YouTube claiming the Oscars would make it a serious compeтιтor in this era. The platform is an outlet for independent creators and does not make prestige content like Amazon or Netflix. But hosting the event where the best of that content is judged would establish YouTube as a pillar of the future of the entertainment landscape.

As network television faces more setbacks (including Paramount losing the Grammys) and streaming services continue to adapt, YouTube is still a distinct platform that must forge its own path. Big events, ranging from the Oscars to other things like New Heights, would mean that it is indispensable in its own way.

Our Take On YouTube Hosting The Oscars

Conan O'Brien hosting the 2025 Oscars — Conan O’Brien hosting the 2025 Oscars

However, this is only some of the earliest news on this development, and I could more realistically see Netflix or Disney+ winning the Oscars from 2029 onwards (ᴀssuming streaming hasn’t entirely collapsed by that point). Disney owns ABC and isn’t going to let the Oscars go quietly, while Netflix might be better equipped to handle such an event.

However, the Academy might be interested in making the Oscars more accessible, thus increasing its exposure, through YouTube’s generally free platform — unless they are thinking of only making it available to paid subscribers. This news comes as a surprise, and there may be a fierce bidding war down the line, which will have the industry on the edge of its seat.