The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added a mandatory viewing rule for Oscar voters: members casting ballots in any category must now watch every film nominated in that category, Rolling Stone reported.

The change targets a procedural gap that has drawn years of awards-season criticism. Branch members could previously cast final-round votes without having personally screened the films competing in their category. Studios responded with campaigns built for skim-readers rather than committed viewers, betting that festival heat, name recognition, or trade-press coverage could carry a nominee across the line.

How does the new rule change campaign math?

Distributors can no longer count on votes from members who haven't watched. Every For Your Consideration screening, screener link, and platform window now lands in front of a voter with a viewing obligation baked into the ballot itself.

The rule reshapes at least four campaign tactics:

• Screening saturation. Studios must extend runs, festival appearances, and streaming windows to ensure members can log their views before voting closes.
• FYC spending shifts. Trade ads, Q&A events, and guild showcases now feed an obligation, not chase attention from members who may never watch.
• Genuine reactions matter more. A voter who has watched every nominee controls the outcome; their response carries more weight than any campaign asset.
• Limited-push nominees gain ground. Films without heavy machinery benefit if members simply watch them and respond to what is on screen.

What does the 'overdue' framing tell us?

Rolling Stone characterized the change as an "overdue rule," reflecting years of trade-press and Academy-branch debate about ballots cast without viewing. The mandate reframes Academy voting from a trust-based system, where members self-reported screen habits, to an obligation tied directly to the ballot.

The exact enforcement mechanism is not detailed in the report. Members have historically self-certified viewing in their submissions, leaving the practical power of the rule to depend on whether the Academy introduces audit trails, ballot-level checks, or lighter verification.

Which races absorb the impact first?

Best Picture sits at the front of any viewing-mandate conversation because every Academy member votes in the category. A rule requiring full viewing touches every nominee running for the marquee prize, raising the screen-time load for the largest voting pool in the organization.

Performance races — Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress — face their own viewing pressure. Members weigh shorter performances across a crowded field, and the rule formalizes what campaigns have long requested: voters who see the work before they rank it.

What is the next trade question?

Will distributors and publicists adapt faster than voter habits? Festivals, streaming premieres, and limited theatrical runs now face new demand from an Academy expecting confirmed viewing. The first full cycle under the rule becomes a live test for the membership board that approved it.