With award show season now in full swing, fans of the glitz and the glamor are searching for any possible way to get another fix of the good stuff. On Tuesday, BritBox announced some good news for awards show fans and anglophiles alike, as it will again be the streaming home for the BAFTA Awards in the United States. While this is not the first time the British-focused streaming platform has hosted the prestigious awards ceremony, BritBox’s CEO Reemah Sakaan says the company is thrilled to be continuing its relationship with the BAFTA Film Awards.
“BritBox and BAFTA share a common vision to celebrate British excellence on screen, and take it out to the world,” Sakaan said. “We are thrilled to be extending our relationship, with live awards coverage of the EE BAFTAs, and red-carpet entertainment to the BritBox subscribers in eight countries globally to tune-in and discover their next British obsession.”
The ceremony, which will take place on Feb. 17, will stream on BritBox at the same time as the BBC broadcast. It will also be available in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, allowing people of all nations to gather and watch the British Academy crown their favorite films and actors from the year 2022.
BritBox is not the first streaming service to take advantage of people’s love of awards shows. When Peacock aired the “Golden Globes,” the streaming version of the ceremony was a boon for NBCUniversal, prompting many to ask whether all award shows should go the streaming platform route. Netflix also recently announced that it will become the new home of the Screen Actors Guild Awards beginning in 2024, joining in on the goldrush of awards show livestreams. And as Disney+ has hosted the Academy Award nominations for the past two years, perhaps the streaming platform could be a future home for a simulcast of the ABC ceremony.
Related: How to Stream All 2023 Oscar-Nominated Movies
As more and more streaming services continue to scoop up the rights to various awards ceremonies, BritBox is smart to have gotten its hands on BAFTA as early as they have, before a larger streaming service may have emerged from the shadows to take BAFTA for itself.
The BAFTA Film Awards will air on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. ET and will be hosted by actor Richard E. Grant, with Alison Hammond hosting a new BAFTA Studio show that will give viewers more access to the experience than ever before. With such hits as “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and “Tár” vying for the honor of Best Film this year, it should be a thrilling and fun show.
BritBox
BritBox is a hub for hundreds of TV shows and films produced in the UK. Enjoy your favorite classics like Doctor Who (1963) and Mr. Bean (1990), new original series like Sticks and Stones (2019) and There She Goes (2018), and watch special live events, tune into premieres, and keep up to date with current affairs and soap operas streaming direct from the UK. Oftentimes programming that premieres in the UK can be viewed internationally at the same time via the service.