VH1 becomes Critics' Choice
By Kimberly Nordyke
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - VH1 is the new home of the Critics' Choice Awards.
The network said on Monday that it has inked an exclusive three-year deal with the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. to broadcast the awards show starting with the 13th annual edition, airing live January 7 from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
The Critics' Choice Awards, founded in 1995, annually honors achievements in filmmaking and is touted as the first major awards show of the season. The BFCA claims that it consistently picks nominees and winners that go on to garner more Oscar nominations and wins than any other of the movie awards shows, last year picking 30 of the 35 nominees and six of the Oscar winners in the top seven categories, including best picture, acting, directing and writing. The show also is attended by a range of high-profile talent.
VH1 plans to expand elements of the show online at VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile to give the show a year-round presence. Exclusive video footage from the event will include celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The network said that further announcements about multiplatform plans will be announced closer to the event.
This year, the Critics' Choice Awards aired (not live) on E! Entertainment Television, following a two-year run on WB Network. Before WB, the show aired for four years on E! The first five ceremonies were not televised.
The BFCA represents more than 200 television, radio and online film critics in the U.S. and Canada.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
