Goodbye to the Oscars.

[Allan Black]

After 50yrs on ABC the 2029 Oscars will be presented live on YouTube for global streaming.

For ABC Disney, the Oscars has been a key part of a sizeable portfolio of live events — but also an expensive and depreciating asset. (Ratings for the Oscars telecast are a fraction of what they were even just a decade ago.) Earlier this year, Disney’s window to exclusively negotiate for the Oscars lapsed, in part, sources say, because the company was unwilling to overpay for a property that is not the moneymaker it once was. Plus, there has long been frustration at ABC about the Academy’s reluctance to meet it halfway on things like the number of categories presented during the telecast and the overall length of the telecast. It remains to be seen if YouTube will have more success than ABC did at convincing the Academy to modernise its show.

As part of the newly inked deal, YouTube will broadcast not only the Oscars ceremony itself — which generated $150 million in revenue for the Academy during the fiscal year that ended on June 30, the vast majority via the TV rights deal with Disney — but also a significant amount of related content.

Also coming to YouTube: red carpet preshow and behind-the-scenes in-show content; the Oscar nominations announcement; the Governors Awards, at which the Academy presents honorary Oscars and occasionally the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award; the Oscars Nominees Luncheon; the Student Academy Awards ceremony; the Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony; Academy member and filmmaker interviews; film education programs; podcasts and more.

Costs certainly came into it, the cost to host the present Oscars at the Dolby Theatre is approximately $56.9 million, which includes various expenses related to the event including catering. This figure has been increasing over the years as the ceremony continued to grow in scale and extravagance.

So enjoy the 2026-27-and the 100th 2028 Oscars on your big tv screen. This years compere Conan O’Brien has plenty to make jokes about while we all think about the passing of more entertaining live television after CBS announced, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will conclude in May 2026, marking the end of the Late Show franchise after 33 years. CBS announced this decision as a financial measure, stating that it is not related to the show's performance or content.
Cheers.

[Doug Jensen]

"So enjoy the 2026-27-and the 100th 2028 Oscars on your big tv screen."

Well, I have no interest in watching the Oscars regardless of what platform it is on. But seems like someone is saying you can't watch YouTube on a big screen? I watch YouTube on my 80" livingroom TV every day. And YouTube looks way better than cable for even OTA because they don't overly compress it on YouTube. And I can watch most network news shows, documentaries, late might comedy shows completely commercial free and without having to fast-forward commercials. For example, Colbert, Kimmel, and Seth Myers post their monologues (sometimes even before airing on the network) and they begin right at the first word without all the opening hoopla and nonsense you normally have to fast-foward past. Nice and tightly edited.
YouTube premium is the best streaming service ever.

YouTube ain't just for phones and tablets, and anyone who thinks you can't watch the Oscars on a big screen TV shouldn't be writing a column about TV.

[Allan Black]

Hi Doug nice to hear from you. It’s hyperbole, that was me saying figuratively, ‘Good bye to the 50year era.’ Of course anyone with a suitable television setup can watch YouTube. We can on our new smart tv at home here in Sydney, but with other busy lives we never do it.

The amount of 2029 Oscar program YouTube promises means it’s going to run for many hours, way longer than I and many people will want to watch it, but out of curiosity many and reviewers will. It’s a first time for the organisers and they’ll learn from it.

And figuratively again, by the time the 2029 Oscars comes along, you’ll be able to watch it on your wrist tv set.
Cheers.

[Doug Jensen]

Don't fall for the Seiko watch!!!
See that cord going into the sleeve? It runs to a suitcase-sized battery you have to carry around to power the watch. Wait until they get the battery down to backpack size. Never be an early adopter.

As for the Oscars, I don't want to be one of those old farts that complains about the current state of crappy movies and music . . . but yeah, I guess I am that guy. It has literally been more than 6 years (pre-covid) since there was anything playing at a theater I would be remotely interested in seeing. Lots of GREAT stuff being produced for streaming platforms, though. The last 10 years have been the golden age of television. Thank you Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, LOST, and Band of Brothers for setting the standards so high.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I only remember watching the Oscars once in the past 20 years. I was visiting my friend in Athens and had just stepped off the plane that same day in 2014. It was also some kind of carnival day and Jenny had a big night planned for us visiting several bars and ending up at a friend's home to watch the Oscars live, which was the wee hours of the morning in Greece. Didn't make it home until daybreak! Then - I think it was the next day - the Malaysia Airlines plane vanished.

But I'm even more "that guy" than you Doug. Not very interested in anything coming out of the industry these days. Never subscribed to HBO or Netflix (or whatever) and have literally no clue what most of the shows you mentioned are even about. Guess I watched bits of the Sopranos here and there, but truly dislike anything about organized crime. My daughter works for a big NYC advertising agency and is always telling me about Mad Men, but I just can't get interested.

These days, video is mostly just "background noise" for me, streaming some dumb History Channel show about Aliens or other mindless stuff on my iPad for laughs while I make maps and write code that is getting increasingly complex. When I want real entertainment, I watch one of the true Hollywood classics from days long gone, I have something like 800 on my little media server (and as many old TV shows).

But to each their own, glad that these shows keep people employed in the industry and provide entertainment for those who enjoy them.

[Andrew Smith]

I completely agree with Doug about how overly compressed FTA video quality is. I once filmed a bit of an event one night and then we were playing it the following night through a large TV screen (from an .mp4 on a USB stick) and it caught me out by surprise as to how people marvelled that what they were seeing on a TV screen was so sharp and clear.

Just one of those things.

Andrew

Attached: Doug's character on The Simpsons. :-)

[Doug Jensen]

Ha, ha! Thanks Andrew, I love the caricature. But in order to be more accurate, it needs a caption with me yelling "Get the hell out of my shot!!!"

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Not very interested in anything coming out of the industry these days. Never subscribed to HBO or Netflix (or whatever) and have literally no clue what most of the shows you mentioned are even about. .

Everyone's tastes are different, so I'm not going to say you'd love the shows that I have found to be really, really good. But just let me say, there is a lot of really good content being produced for online streaming. You should take a closer look because you might be surprised. But yeah, there is a lot of junk too. I'd say that I bail out within the first 15 minutes of at least 75% of most new movies I try, and never make it past episode one (or even less) of most new series. Finding good new stuff is like finding a needle in a haystack. And anyone who likes everything is simply an idiot or has no taste.

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

When I want real entertainment, I watch one of the true Hollywood classics from days long gone, I have something like 800 on my little media server (and as many old TV shows).

I totally agree. I have a library of about 200 of my favorite films and watch them regularly. They never disappoint. My wife is more inclined to try new stuff, but my attitude is "Why waste time taking a risk on something that is probably going to suck, when I can call up one of my classic films and be guaranteed an entertaining evening?" She doesn't like to watch stuff she's seen before, but that's because she has a better memory than me. I can watch stuff again after a year or two without feeling too much like I've seen it before.

I tell her, "You don't by a music album -- listen to it once -- and never listen to it again because you already heard I it, do you?" No! Well, I treat classic movies and TV shows the same way.

And I still have a love of reading and will usually get through 2-3 dozen books per year. Mostly old stuff though. I'm trying to work my way back through a lot of classics and other well-known books I've hear do, but somehow missed in my younger years. And re-reading my favorites.

[Doug Jensen]

I've also become a big fan of YouTube. It's not just cat videos and people clowning around anymore. There are some really talented people out there creating non-fiction content about science, history, travel, etc. that can't be found anywhere else -- and many of those videos are far better than stuff you see on NOVA, Nature, and other big budget productions. Whatever topics you are interested in, there's quality content being produced. All you have to do is searchfor it, and it's right there ready to go. And for about $14/mo. never any commercials!!! Amazing times we live in.

[Andrew Smith]

Here you go Doug.

Angry cameraman shouting - YouTube

Andrew

[Boyd Ostroff]

Yeah Doug, those are good points. But I just don't "watch" video much anymore (sit down and actually watch for entertainment, as opposed to just having it run while I do other things). After posting that however, I realized I did watch at least one new film that I enjoyed a lot - "A Complete Unknown". I've been a huge fan of that early Dylan era for many years, which I always felt was rather obscure. So, it was a big surprise to see that movie, like something that was made just for me! And what an impressive performance! I could nitpick, but overall I thought it was great.

Actually, the Newport scenes were filmed in Cape May, NJ which is about 30 miles from where I live. They put up requests for extras during the filming and I even gave a (brief) passing thought to going down there. Now - funny - people in Cape May were upset that there was no "thanks" to Cape May in the credits, LOL, guess you can't please everybody! :-)

Last year I read Spielberg was filming scenes for film about UFO's in Milmay, an unremarkable tiny town that's literally only a "wide spot in the road", just a few miles from my house. Still wondering what that's all about...

https://www.fox29.com/news/steven-sp...s-south-jersey