The Oscars are moving from ABC to YouTube — and I think that's a good thing
- - The Oscars are moving from ABC to YouTube — and I think that's a good thing
Patrick GomezDecember 18, 2025 at 1:01 AM
0
Kurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty; CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty
Oscar statue; YouTube logo
My love for the Academy Awards started very young.
Being the only child of a single mom, I was often carted along with her since it was cheaper than a babysitter. This led to perhaps too-young viewings of some films and TV shows. While my classmates were watching Tom & Jerry, I became a lifelong fan of Sisters, and still vividly recall my eyes being covered briefly during a screening of City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold at our local AMC. But it also meant I got to tag along to my mom's friend Gerry's annual Oscars party.
While, at that age, staying up late was exciting on its own, I truly enjoyed the telecast itself. A group of 20 or so would gather around, nibbling on treats themed to that year's nominees, and "shh" each other to not miss a moment.
I haven't been able to attend Gerry's party since leaving the state for college decades ago, but I'm so glad the tradition lives on. And I still send her my ballot each year...I even win sometimes, though Gerry's son Brian gives me a run for my money.
That said, I have to imagine the number of people at Gerry's party who are no longer able to watch at home has grown significantly over the years, as they join the tens of millions who have cut the cord.
Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty
The ABC logo
Whether you're on a budget, already have enough streaming services to keep you entertained, or are young enough to not even know what cable is, it's increasingly rare to know someone whose TV viewing looks anything like it did even in the TiVo days.
A total of 39.3 million people in the United States have gotten rid of their cable plan since the trend began, according to Broadband Search. And things aren't slowing down. According to the media data site, 4.9 million people cut the cord in 2024, an 18.9 percent increase year over year — and they forecast an additional 20 million people will follow suit by 2027, bringing the total number of cable cancelers to more than 60 million. (That doesn't even count those who never had it in the first place, and the total U.S. adult population was most recently calculated as 258.3 million, according to the 2020 Census.)
Over that same time period, pundits and the Academy have been asking themselves, "Why aren't people watching the Oscars anymore?!"
There have been valid arguments about the lack of diversity and the lack of nominations for high-profile films that people have actually seen. But I ultimately think the answer is simpler: America has cut the cord.
Nowadays, if you want to reach the most people, pick up your phone and start streaming on your preferred social media. And that's exactly what the Academy did today in announcing it's moving the Oscars from ABC to YouTube, starting with the 101st ceremony in 2029.
It'd be one thing if it were only on YouTubeTV — that'd just be trading cable or antenna or Hulu with Live TV. But streaming the telecast online suddenly provides it to millions more. If not from your Smart TV, at least you can watch from your phone.
The traditionalist in me will miss it airing on ABC, the Oscars' home since 1976. And I don't want to discount those who may find it difficult (or impossible) to stream the ceremony on its new platform. But without finding a new generation of viewers, the Oscars was on a slow march toward irrelevancy.
Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.
The move to YouTube is by no means a magical viewership elixir. (The SAG Awards saw minimal change in viewership when it moved from TNT/TBS to Netflix in 2024.) But if you don't adapt, you die. I say kudos to the Academy for adapting.
And, Gerry, a Smart TV may be coming to you for Christmas if you don't already have one. Gotta keep the tradition alive.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
