Things can escalate a lot quicker than we may anticipate. Unfortunately, that may appear to be what is happening now. For years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Netflix have had an ongoing debate about films from streaming sites being recognized at the Oscars. However, things appeared to be going in a more positive direction with the success of Roma. Roma took the award show by storm with ten nominations and three victories. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in to make sure that films like Roma would continue to be recognized.
According to a report from Variety, the D.O.J has issued a warning to the academy about potential rule changes that would exclude films from streaming sites. The Chief of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, wrote, “In the event that the Academy — an association that includes multiple competitors in its membership — establishes certain eligibility requirements for the Oscars that eliminate competition without procompetitive justification, such conduct may raise antitrust concerns.”
This warning comes just weeks after reports surfaced that Steven Spielberg was advocating for the exclusion of films from streaming sites from the Oscars. Spielberg has yet to comment on the warning, but the academy did. A spokesperson stated, “We’ve received a letter from the Dept. of Justice and have responded accordingly.”
Stay tuned for more details about this as this story unfolds.
