ABC has held the Academy Awards for nearly 50 years and isn’t planning to give them up that easily. With that said, NBC and CBS are circling, interested to swoop in to acquire the rights.
And then there’s the unusual contenders: Netflix and YouTube.
Last year, Disney and AMPAS were negotiating a deal worth more than $100M per year, but conversations have stalled since then. The current contract deal is supposed to end by 2028. The problem is that AMPAS wants more money, and given the lackluster ratings, Disney does not
Bloomberg reports that both have reached out about acquiring broadcast rights — a move that would send shockwaves through Hollywood if either replaced ABC as the official home of the Oscars.
Yet it’s not as crazy as it sounds. YouTube is the most-watched video platform in the world. Netflix is the undisputed king of streaming. If the Academy is looking to chase eyeballs, either platform could deliver a global audience that no traditional broadcaster can match.
Oscars viewership in the US has collapsed more than 60% since its peak years in the late 1990s and is half of what it was just a decade ago. Many have tuned out or just watch highlights on YouTube the following day.
That said, it’s far from a done deal. ABC still has the rights through 2028, and the Academy is weighing multiple bidders.
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