The commercial network today announced a multi-year deal with Disney Entertainment that will begin with the 96th Academy Awards next year on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.The ceremony will broadcast and stream live in the UK on the ITV1 network and streaming service ITVX.The news comes after Deadline last month revealed the Oscars’ long-time UK home Sky was set to lose rights to the coverage after two decades, with a new buyer lined up. The identity of that player has now emerged as ITV.The new agreement will see see future Oscars editions made available across ITV platforms and programming, including ITV1 and ITVX, ITVX social channels and news and magazine shows.Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager for ITV and ITV, said: “We are thrilled to be able to exclusively bring the Oscars to film fans all across the UK, furthering and complementing our commitment to films across our network. We already have a fantastic collection of over 250 feature films available on ITVX at any one time and are looking forward to sharing the movie-event of the year with our viewers.”Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, added: “We could not be happier to partner with ITV in bringing the Oscars to viewers throughout the UK. The Oscars is a celebration of global cinema — recognizing films and film artists from around the world. ITV’s support of our international awards show is a testament to its deep devotion to the movies.”Oscars ratings have been falling in recent years in the UK, similar to the trend in the U.S. Around 35,000 tuned in live for the 95th ceremony on the main Sky Cinema channel this year compared with nearly 60,000 in 2022.The U.S. Oscars coverage is shown on ABC. This year’s event saw Everything Everywhere All at Once take home the Best Picture prize along with multiple others, alongside notable wins for Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh and Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front.
© 2023 Deadline Hollywood.