ITV announced a “multi-year” partnership that will begin with next year’s event on March 10th.
The channel will be aiming to reverse an overall downward trend in award ceremony watching figures.
This may be easier for a free-to-air channel than for Sky, which is pay-per-view.
Sky originally aired the Oscars on its free-to-air networks, Sky Arts and Sky News, earlier this year.
According to Screen Daily, just roughly 35,000 people tuned in live on the main Sky Cinema channel in 2023, slightly more than half the viewership in 2022.
Currently, most media organizations are attempting to cut costs in the face of streaming losses, an advertising slowdown, and Hollywood strikes.
Sky had held the rights to the film since 2004. Previously, the Comcast-owned firm had alternated between broadcasting the ceremony and the BBC.
Darren Nartey, senior acquisitions manager for ITV and ITVX, said, “We are thrilled to be able to exclusively bring the Oscars to film fans all across the UK.”
All parties involved will be hoping that the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike will be settled long before the 2024 awards, as this year’s Emmys were forced to move from September to January.
