Oscars to again allow movies on streaming platforms to compete for honors

FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the Netflix logo is seen on a keyboard in front of displayed “Streaming service” words in this illustration taken March 24, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

LOS ANGELES — The organizers of the Oscars on Thursday moved the date of the 2022 ceremony to late March, a month later than originally planned, and said that films released on streaming services would again qualify for Academy Awards consideration.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement that the Oscars ceremony would take place on March 27, 2022 at the show’s traditional home in Hollywood. The ceremony was originally scheduled for February 27.

No reason was given for the date change.

The Academy added that due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will for the second time allow movies made primarily for release in theaters that were shifted to a streaming platform to be eligible for Oscar consideration.

Dozens of movies have been released on streaming services such as Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix and Amazon in the past 15 months while movie theaters around the world have been shuttered because of the pandemic.

The 2021 Oscars were delayed from February to late April because of the pandemic and took place for the first time at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.