YouTube is tossing its hat in the ring to host the Academy Awards, per a report from Bloomberg.
Though film’s biggest night has long been aired on ABC, it’s no surprise that other media companies are making plays for the coveted awards show. In recent years, streamers like Netflix and Prime Video have begun to diversify their content, aiming to include more live events to pull in additional subscribers and ad revenue.
The Google-owned video platform has inquired about buying the rights to the Oscars, according to two unnamed sources cited in the Bloomberg report. As with other sites, YouTube has also demonstrated a growing interest in hosting live events via its YouTube TV package, which boasts the NFL Sunday Ticket. Earlier this week, the platform touted Taylor Swift’s appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast drawing in a record-high number of live viewers.
The Academy Awards are set to continue on ABC through 2028 under the network’s current deal with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The new deal would cover the rights to the ceremony starting in 2029.
The Oscars have been in play since this spring when the Academy’s exclusive negotiating window with the ceremony’s longtime broadcaster ABC lapsed. The organization was poised to shop the marquee awards to other networks and platforms.
As Deadline reported at the time, a license-fee increase sought by the Academy was the main reason the two sides came out of the exclusive negotiating period without a new deal.
Last year, AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer called Disney-ABC an “amazing partner” but said he is “confident that our next deal for the Oscars will be very lucrative” regardless of who secures the rights. Naturally, YouTube’s acquisition would shake up a fete that has been seeing audience losses year-to-year, and as the most-frequented video platform in the world, it could introduce a new viewership base.
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