Youube on a mobile device. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
From TV to YouTube, the Oscars’ global shift reveals how entertainment, access and platforms are reshaping cultural institutions.
Updated
December 19, 2025 9:02 PM
Youube on a mobile device. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
The Oscars are moving to YouTube. Beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has signed a multi-year agreement that makes YouTube the exclusive global home of the Oscars through 2033. From the ceremony itself to red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes access and the Governors Ball, the entire experience will live on a platform most people already open every day.
On the surface, it looks like a distribution shift. In reality, it signals a broader strategic reset. For decades, television delivered scale for cultural institutions. Today, reach and discovery live on platforms, not channels. By choosing YouTube, the Academy is quietly acknowledging that cultural relevance today is built where audiences already are. In that context, YouTube is no longer just a place to watch clips but an emerging piece of cultural infrastructure.
What also stands out is how the Oscars are being reframed. This partnership is not limited to one night a year. Alongside the ceremony, YouTube will host year-round Academy programming through the Oscars YouTube channel. That includes nominations announcements, the Governors Awards, the Student Academy Awards, the Scientific and Technical Awards, filmmaker interviews, podcasts and education programs. Instead of a single broadcast moment, the Oscars are turning into an always-on ecosystem.
Accessibility is another central pillar of the deal. The Oscars will be free to watch globally, supported by closed captioning and audio tracks in multiple languages. This is less about nice-to-have features and more about staying relevant in a global, digital-first world. Younger audiences and viewers outside traditional Western markets expect access by default. The Academy is clearly building with that expectation in mind.
There is also a deeper exchange happening between heritage and technology. YouTube gains cultural weight by hosting one of the world’s most established creative institutions. The Academy, in turn, gains technological legitimacy and a clearer path into the future.
That balance extends to how the transition is being handled. The Academy’s domestic broadcast partnership with Disney ABC will continue through the 100th Oscars in 2028 and the international arrangement with Disney’s Buena Vista International remains in place until then. This is not an abrupt break from legacy media but a carefully phased shift. Change is being managed without burning bridges.
“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community. This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.”
From YouTube’s side, the partnership places the platform firmly in the center of global cultural moments. “The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube. “Partnering with the Academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
Google Arts & Culture extends the partnership beyond the ceremony. Select Academy Museum exhibitions and materials from the Academy’s 52-million-item collection will be made digitally accessible worldwide, bringing film history and education onto the same platform.
Taken together, the deal is less about where the Oscars will stream and more about how cultural institutions are adapting to the changing landscape. The Academy is positioning itself to be present year-round, globally accessible and aligned with the platforms that shape everyday viewing.
Keep Reading
Reimagining biodefense at the intersection of AI, biology and urgency.
Updated
November 27, 2025 3:26 PM
Through computational tools, Valthos analyzes biological data to design adaptive solutions against emerging threats. PHOTO: VALTHOS
Valthos has raised US$30 million in seed funding, led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, Lux Capital and Founders Fund, to advance its mission of building next-generation biodefense systems.
The company’s work comes at a time when biotechnology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Biotechnology is moving at record speed. These new tools can lead to life-changing medical discoveries, but they also bring the risk of dangerous biological agents being developed faster than ever.
“The issue at the core of biodefense is asymmetry”, said Kathleen McMahon, co-founder of Valthos. “It’s easier to make a pathogen than a cure. We’re building tools to help experts at the frontlines of biodefense move as fast as the threats they face”. The gap Valthos aims to close is between the rapid rise of biological threats and the slower pace of developing cures. Therefore, the company is developing AI systems that can rapidly analyze biological sequences and significantly shorten the time needed to design medical countermeasures.
“In this new world, the only way forward is to be faster. So we set out to build a new tech stack for biodefense”, said Tess van Stekelenburg, co-founder of Valthos. “This software infrastructure strengthens biodefense today and lays the groundwork for the adaptive, precision therapeutics of tomorrow”.
The company was founded by van Stekelenburg, a partner at Lux Capital and McMahon, the former head of Palantir’s Life Sciences division. Together, they’ve built a multidisciplinary team of experts from Palantir, DeepMind, Stanford’s Arc Institute and MIT’s Broad Institute, bringing together deep experience in software engineering, machine learning and biotechnology.
“Technology is moving fast. An industrial ecosystem of builders, companies and solutions further democratizes AI to provide broad resilience, and ensures the U.S. continues to lead as AI increasingly powers everything around us. As AI and biotech rapidly advance, biodefense is one of the new industry verticals that helps maximize the benefits and minimize the risks”, said Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Valthos is pushing the frontier of protection and defense in one of the most strategic intersections of multiple world-changing technologies, and with the team to do it”.
Looking ahead, Valthos plans to expand its engineering team and scale its software infrastructure for both government and commercial partners — moving closer to its goal of enabling faster, smarter and more adaptive biodefense capabilities.