The Oscars awards ceremony in the UK is getting a new home. ITV has recently announced a multi-year deal with Disney Entertainment, which will make ITV the new broadcaster of the Academy Awards in the UK. The agreement will start with the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, which will be broadcasted and streamed live on the ITV1 network and ITVX streaming service.
This news comes after it was revealed last month that the Oscars’ long-time UK home, Sky, would no longer have the rights to the coverage. ITV has now emerged as the new buyer, securing the rights to broadcast the prestigious event for the next few years.
The agreement will not only include the live broadcast of the ceremony itself but also future editions of the Oscars across various ITV platforms and programming. This means that viewers will be able to watch the Oscars on ITV1 and ITVX, as well as on ITVX’s social channels and news and magazine shows.
Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager for ITV and ITVX, expressed his excitement about being able to bring the Oscars exclusively to film fans across the UK. He mentioned that this deal further emphasizes ITV’s commitment to films and that they are looking forward to sharing the biggest movie event of the year with their viewers.
Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also commented on the partnership with ITV and the excitement of bringing the Oscars to viewers throughout the UK. He emphasized that the Oscars is a celebration of global cinema and ITV’s support of this international awards show showcases their deep devotion to the movies.
It’s worth noting that Oscars ratings have been declining in recent years in the UK, similar to the trend in the US. The 95th ceremony, which aired on the main Sky Cinema channel this year, had around 35,000 live viewers compared to nearly 60,000 in 2022. Despite this, ITV is optimistic about the opportunity to bring the Oscars to a wider audience and continue promoting the movies.
In the US, the Oscars coverage is shown on ABC. This year’s event saw “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning the Best Picture prize and several other awards. There were also notable wins for Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh, and Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
With ITV becoming the new home of the Oscars in the UK, film fans can look forward to enjoying all the glamour and excitement of this iconic awards ceremony on ITV1 and ITVX starting from next year.
