Happy New Year to the readers of Open Gardens!!!!
We are off this week, but I couldn’t ignore the end-of-year announcement about the Academy Awards moving to YouTube. Every media and creator economy Substacker, pundit, journalist, podcaster and group chat has already weighed in, so there is no need to relitigate it here.
But YouTube is about width. Maximum reach. The biggest possible audience watching the show, or at least consuming pieces of it in clips, highlights, and reaction videos. That matters. Meeting audiences where they already live matters. As an Academy member, I’m proud of the decision. Every movie today depends on social platforms, YouTube included, to find an audience. Bringing the Oscars into that ecosystem feels both practical and overdue.
But width is only half the game.
Where real monetization and durability are happening right now is depth. Identifying the people who care the most, pulling them closer, and building experiences, access, and value around that relationship. That work does not require waiting for 2029.
And to be clear, the show will not actually move to YouTube for another three years. In media time, that is an eternity. Platforms will change. Formats will shift. Today’s hot takes will age poorly.
Which is why I wanted to resurface an article we wrote back in March of 2025. It argued that the more interesting opportunity for the Academy lives beyond distribution deals and broadcast platforms.
That still feels like the right swing to take right now.
Reposting it below for anyone who missed it the first time. And we will start posting new articles next week!
