LOS ANGELES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will move its annual awards ceremony from its longtime Hollywood home to downtown Los Angeles starting in 2029, marking one of the most significant logistical and broadcast shifts in the event’s century-long history.
The move to the L.A. Live entertainment complex ends a nearly three-decade residency at the Dolby Theatre, the Academy announced. The transition coincides with a landmark change in the ceremony’s broadcast system, as the Oscars will move from traditional television on ABC to a global live-stream on YouTube.
The 2029 Transition
– Venue Shift: The 101st Academy Awards will be held at the Peacock Theater (formerly Microsoft Theater) at L.A. Live. The Academy has signed a 10-year agreement with AEG, the venue’s operator, ensuring the ceremony remains downtown through at least 2039.
– Increased Capacity: The move addresses long-standing space constraints. The Peacock Theater boasts approximately 7,100 seats, more than doubling the 3,400-seat capacity of the Dolby Theatre.
– Digital Transformation: After more than 50 years on ABC, the Oscars will pivot to an exclusive worldwide streaming partnership with YouTube. This shift aims to capture a younger, global audience amid declining linear television ratings.
– Centralized Campus: The L.A. Live location will allow the Academy to consolidate the red carpet, the main ceremony, and the Governors Ball within a single “campus-style” footprint, reducing the heavy security and road-closure requirements that complicated the Hollywood Boulevard site.
Industry Impact
“We are thrilled to partner with a global powerhouse like AEG,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a joint statement. They noted that the new venue’s “technologically sophisticated” infrastructure would provide a superior backdrop for both the live audience and the hundreds of millions watching online.
The Dolby Theatre, which was built specifically to host the Oscars and opened in 2002, will host its final ceremony with the landmark 100th Academy Awards in 2028.
Critics and industry analysts view the move as a “strategic reset.” By moving to a larger venue and a digital-first platform, the Academy is betting on a more immersive, accessible future for the film industry’s highest honors.
