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.