BBC America to Air Orange Awards

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

BBC America announced Friday that it has secured exclusive rights to The
Orange British Academy Film Awards -- the United Kingdom's equivalent of the
American Academy Awards -- to air Feb. 23.

BBC will air the star-studded awards show -- considered by many as an
indicator to potential Academy Award winners -- live and commercial
free-beginning at 4 p.m.

"This is the first major live awards ceremony BBC America has shown, and we
are delighted to bring such a prestigious event to the United States," BBC
America vice president of programming David Bernath said in a prepared
statement.

"With only two months between the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards, all eyes
will be on London, looking for those vital predictions of who might take
Hollywood's ultimate prizes in March," he added.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.