

According to Deadline, the BAFTA international TV category will be making changes to its voting procedures. In prior years, the first round of voting was cast by members in order to create a long list; subsequent rounds were then decided by a Jury. The BAFTA awards body stated this about the upcoming changes: “opened up the international category to voting members as part of our commitment to greater member engagement across the TV Awards and in recognition of our global membership.” Then re-vocalized its support by adding “We believe this change will strengthen the category and ensure the very best international programmes get the recognition they deserve,”
Deadline reports that the changes in voting procedure come amid a rapidly expanding international TV market. Prior winners may not have accurately reflected the thoughts of the international community. The 2024 winner, Class Act, staved off competition from critical darlings The Bear and Succession. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story won the award over The White Lotus and Wednesday. Shogun took home the award most recently.
Via Deadline, in another change, BAFTA will allow an exemption for a senior team member in teams of five or more who may not have previously been UK-eligible. This change only stands if 80 percent of the team is UK-eligible and clear reasoning is provided.
According to Deadline, domestically, the BAFTAs saw their other TV category dominated by American streamers with Baby Reindeer, Slow Horses, and Rivals all receiving nominations in the category. Although PBS shows Mr Loverman and Mr Bates vs the Post Office remained the overall successes of the British award show.
Deadline reports that the chair of BAFTA’s television committee, Hilary Rosen, spoke on the landscape of television and the upcoming changes. ”In a year when we saw that TV still has the power to spark national debate and where we honoured the exceptional creativity and craft of British and international TV, I’m delighted to open entries again for Britain’s biggest celebration of the small screen. This year, the most notable change to the rulebook is the International category, which will now be determined by our 6,000-strong TV voting membership. Awarding creative excellence and inspiring future talent is central to BAFTA’s mission, so we look forward to commemorating the achievements of the exceptional people who bring TV to life on and off-screen next Spring.”