ITV to broadcast Oscars after picking up exclusive UK rights from Sky

ITV has picked up the exclusive UK rights to broadcast the Oscars ceremony from Sky.

The 96th Academy Awards will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles into living rooms across the UK through ITV1 and ITVX next March.

A 20-year deal between rightsholder Disney and Sky came to an end last month, paving the way for ITV to pick up the rights.

It is part of a new multi-year agreement with Disney Entertainment that will see future Oscars ceremonies made available across ITV platforms and programming, it was announced on Tuesday.

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, 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, chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said: “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.”

The 2023 Oscars, which could be streamed live in the UK on Sky, saw sci-fi epic film Everything Everywhere All At Once dominate, winning awards in several major categories.

The film took home best picture, best actress, best supporting actress, best supporting actor and best directors for the filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.

The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10, 2024.

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