The Academy Awards are packing up their golden statues and leaving Hollywood’s Dolby Theater behind.
In a stunning shake-up, the Academy Awards will move to downtown Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater at LA Live beginning with the 101st ceremony in 2029.
That’s the same year the show makes its unprecedented broadcast jump from ABC to YouTube.
The announcement was made Thursday, March 26, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and AEG.
It sets the stage for a decade-long partnership that will see the Oscars hosted at the same venue that has hosted the Emmys in recent years.
The move represents a dramatic return to downtown LA, where the ceremony once held sway in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and later the Shrine Auditorium before settling in Hollywood’s Kodak (now Dolby) Theater in 2002.
AEG is planning extensive upgrades to the Peacock Theatre’s stage, sound, lighting and backstage facilities to meet the Academy Awards’ exacting standards.
The expanded LA Live plaza will serve as the red carpet, promising a spectacle that blends tradition with modernity.
The timing is not accidental.
The Academy’s new deal with YouTube, which gives exclusive global streaming rights starting in 2029, signals a bold reinvention of the Oscars brand.
Moving to LA Live, adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena and surrounded by luxury hotels and nightlife, positions the ceremony as both a cultural and commercial juggernaut.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor hailed the partnership, saying, “For the 101st Oscars and beyond, the Academy looks forward to working closely with AEG to make LA Live the perfect backdrop for our global celebration of cinema.”
AEG’s Chief Revenue Officer Todd Goldstein added his own intrigue: “…there is no bigger global stage than the Academy Awards. We are proud to partner with the Academy to recreate what the Academy Awards can look and feel like for years to come. Together, we will create an environment that celebrates creativity, honors excellence and delivers an unforgettable moviegoing experience everywhere.”
The Academy Awards will remain at the Dolby Theater through the 100th ceremony in 2028, which will air live on ABC.
But then the world’s most glamorous night will undergo its most radical transformation in decades.
