Oscars date later next year, to avoid Olympic clash

LOS ANGELES: The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2 next year, later than usual to avoid clashing with the Winter Olympics, organisers and insiders said Monday.

The Oscars are usually held on the last or next to last Sunday in February, but that would compete for TV audiences with the Feb 6-23 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The later date for the Oscars - the climax to Hollywood's annual awards season - will also allow for a more relaxed nomination and voting period, after some complaints this year, according to industry journal "Variety".

Voting for nominees will run from December 27-January 8, with nominations announced on January 16. Final voting will start on February 14 and end on February 25, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Organisers were criticized this year over the limited time Academy voters had to consider late-season releases. There were also some teething troubles with online voting, introduced for the first time.

The March date for the Oscars means that the Golden Globes, Tinseltown's next most high-profile awards show, will be held on January 12, while the Grammys are tipped to be held on January 26, according to "Variety".

In 2015 the Oscars will be held on February 22, back in its more traditional slot, the Academy announced.