The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has introduced a new Oscars voting rule that requires members to watch every nominated film before casting their final-round ballots, closing a near-century-old practice of optional viewing. ITVX's coverage of the change carried the headline framing "Took almost 100 years."

What does the new rule actually require?

• Members must view every film nominated in each category they intend to vote in
• The rule applies to the final-round ballot, where the Academy's full voting membership selects winners
• The mechanism for verifying viewing remains the central implementation detail

The Academy, which held its first ceremony in 1929, currently counts roughly 10,000 voting members organized into branches. Historically, only members of a film's corresponding branch had a guaranteed watch during the film's original release. The Academy's member screening platform — expanded significantly during the streaming era — has now made full viewing technically feasible for the entire voting body.

Why is the change happening now?

• Recent nominees increasingly rely on streaming availability rather than wide theatrical release
• Awards strategists have argued for years that ballots cast without watching the films undercut the legitimacy of results
• The Academy's digital screening infrastructure now reaches all members in one place

How does this change the race?

The rule tightens the link between members and the films themselves. Campaigns cannot rely on name recognition or branch loyalty alone to push a contender across the finish line — at least where verification is enforced.

For distributors, the practical effect is stronger pressure to make films available early through the Academy's screening portal and to host filmmaker Q&As during the voting window. For voters, the cost is more viewing time in what is typically a compressed final-voting period.

For contenders, the rule could benefit films with broad mainstream visibility — major studio releases, franchise titles, and crowd-pleasers that members would likely watch regardless. It could also disadvantage specialty titles whose strongest supporters are committed cinephiles, as casual voters may now abstain rather than commit to a challenging watch.

The ITVX line "Took almost 100 years" highlights how unusual it is for the Academy to revise a foundational voting rule. Such changes typically require approval from the Academy's Board of Governors and take effect at the start of a new awards cycle.

What to watch

• The official rule text and any published enforcement protocol
• How the policy interacts with the branch-specific nomination round, which has its own viewing expectations
• The first awards cycle in which the rule is fully operative
• Any contested result that tests the policy publicly
• Campaign tactics as they adjust to verified-viewing requirements