BAFTA makes big change to TV awards voting: All 6,000 members now get a say

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as BAFTA, has made a big change to how it runs its International TV category for its annual awards. From now on, all 6,000 voting members will have a say in choosing both the nominees and the winners in this category.

This update is part of BAFTA’s aim to involve more of its global membership and reflect how television is becoming more international.

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In the past, the process for picking the best international shows was handled in stages. The first round of voting was open to members, but the final two rounds, where the top choices were shortlisted and then the winner was picked, were handled by a special jury.

Now, BAFTA is opening up the entire voting process to all of its TV members.

This means that for the first time ever, the full voting group will decide which international shows get nominations and which one takes home the award. This is likely to bring in a wider range of opinions and tastes, which BAFTA believes will help spotlight truly outstanding global content.

According to BAFTA, this decision reflects the growing presence of international content on our screens. With streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and others bringing shows from all over the world into people’s homes, the international TV category has become more exciting and competitive than ever.

BAFTA said in a statement (as reported by ‘Deadline’): “We believe this change will strengthen the category and ensure the very best international programmes get the recognition they deserve.” The change also encourages greater involvement from BAFTA’s global community of members.

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In recent years, the International category has had some surprising and exciting winners. In 2024, Netflix France’s ‘Class Act’ took the top prize, beating strong contenders like ‘The Bear’, ‘Beef’, and ‘Succession’.

A year earlier, the award went to ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’, which stirred a lot of debate and managed to edge out ‘Wednesday’ and ‘The White Lotus’. In 2023, ‘Shogun’ on Disney+ was the winner.

BAFTA has also made another rule change for team-based award submissions. Normally, most team members have to be UK-eligible to enter. But from now on, if there are five or more people in the entry, one non-UK team member can be present, provided at least 80% of the team is UK-eligible.

BAFTA explained that this shift “reflects how our industry works today,” while still focusing on celebrating British talent and creativity.

The next BAFTA TV Awards will take place on May 10, 2025, with the craft awards (which honour behind-the-scenes work) scheduled for April 26. Nominations will be out in March.