Oscars ceremony moving to new home outside Hollywood
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Oscars Moving to Peacock Theater in 2029
Is the Oscars' move to Peacock Theater a bold modernization or a desperate scramble to save a fading show?
Above: Signage of the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, California on Feb. 9, 2024. Image credit: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The Oscars moving to Peacock Theater is a smart, forward-thinking reset that modernizes one of entertainment's biggest nights. The new venue holds thousands of more seats, gets a full AEG-funded renovation and pairs perfectly with the show's jump to YouTube in 2029. Downtown L.A. Live's purpose-built plaza is a genuine upgrade over shutting down Hollywood Boulevard for weeks.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Oscars fleeing Hollywood is less a bold reinvention and more a desperate scramble by a show hemorrhaging viewers — down to under 18 million, roughly half of 2016 peaks. Ditching ABC for YouTube and swapping iconic Hollywood & Highland for a downtown arena signals panic, not progress. Hollywood culturally abandoned mainstream America long ago, and the ratings prove audiences have noticed.
Metaculus Prediction
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0