BAFTA Rules That Streaming Films Remains Welcome

Steven Knight, David Caffrey, Joe Donaldson, Caryn Mandabach and Joe Cole, Drama Series Award, 'Peaky Blinders' British Academy Television Awards, Ceremony, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK - 13 May 2018. Photo by Guy Levy/BAFTA/REX/Shutterstock (9670142p)

While Netflix remains a contentious point at some festivals and award shows, the BAFTAs are not one of them.

Last year’s film Roma scooped up three Oscars and dozens of other awards, but its limited theatrical release caused controversy when it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards.

Cinema chains, AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas, both issued statements saying that Roma would not be part of their annual Best Picture showcase, while esteemed director, Steven Spielberg, expressed disapproval of streaming films being eligible for the Oscars.

Following extensive industry consultation, the British Academy, which is responsible for the BAFTA Awards, announced that it would continue to allow streaming services like Netflix and Amazon to compete.

The rules for eligibility require films to have been theatrically exhibited publicly to a paying audience on at least 10 commercial screens in the UK for at least an average of 7 days.

The 2020 BAFTAs are scheduled to take place on February 2nd — a week before the Oscars.