The Oscars has a new home in the UK after Sky lost rights to broadcast the ceremony earlier this year.
On Tuesday (12 September), it was revealed that the awards show will be broadcast on ITV as part of new multi-year deal with Disney Entertainment.
From 2024, the ceremony will shown on ITV1 and ITVX, where it will be streamed live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, on 10 March.
Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager for ITV and ITVX, said of the news: “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 –recognising 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.”
Sky, who started airing the ceremony in 2004, lost rights to broadcast the Oscars after viewing ratings for the show plummeted annually. Deadline reports that 35,000 watched the 2023 event, which saw Everything Everywhere All at Once win Best Picture, compared to almost 60,000 the year before.
Ahead of Sky airing the show, the Oscars ceremony was broadcast on the BBC.
Films currently considered to be Best Picture contenders at the 2024 Oscars include blockbusters Barbie and Oppeheimer, as well as the acclaimed drama Past Lives.
However, following the Venice Film Festival, the Best Picture race has a new frontrunner.
‘Oppenheimer’ is expected to be an Oscar frontrunner in 2024— (Universal Pictures)
Actors currently in contention for awards include Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan for the former’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, as well as Barry Keoghan for Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, and Jodie Comer for Jeff Nichols drama The Bikeriders.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan is widely expected to receive his second Best Director nomination for Oppenheimer. It would be his first win, after he was previously nominated for his Second World War epic, Dunkirk.
Reigning Oscar winners include Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Key Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis as well as Brendan Fraser, who won Best Actor for The Whale.
