This year’s BAFTA Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. It doesn’t quite air live — there’s a two-hour delay between the event and the broadcast, but the only way to watch it any earlier is to actually be at the ceremony. If you want to know where to watch the BAFTA Awards online for free, keep reading.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, you should know that only those in the U.K. get access to free BAFTA Awards 2025 streaming on the BBC. If you’re not in the country, you’ll need to use a VPN (virtual private network) to get access. NordVPN is our top recommendation for streaming, but any of our best VPN picks will get you in.
Where To Watch the 2025 BAFTA Awards?
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. BBC iPlayer is a free online streaming service that’s available to U.K. residents. However, you can get access with the help of a VPN (we show you how further down). You can watch all the red carpet action on the BAFTAs YouTube Channel.
Streaming Services With BAFTA Film Awards in the USA, Canada, and Other Countries
While BBC One and BBC iPlayer are the main broadcasters for the BAFTAs, there are a couple of other ways you can watch the awards. We’ve provided all BAFTA streaming options in the table below for quick reference.
| Streaming Service | Country | Price |
| BBC iPlayer | U.K. | Free |
| BritBox | U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland | Free 7-day trial $8.99 per month$89.99 on the annual plan |
| Lionsgate | India | ₹399 (less than $5) for 3 months |
Is the BAFTA Awards on Netflix?
No, the BAFTAs are not available to watch on Netflix, live-streamed or on-demand. If you want to watch it, you’ll need to tune into BBC iPlayer in the U.K. or BritBox in other countries.
How To Watch the BAFTA Awards for Free?
The best way to stream the BAFTAs is on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. You will need to use a VPN to unblock the service if you’re not located in the U.K., but most VPNs offer a money-back guarantee, meaning you can get a refund when you’re finished using it. Alternatively, you can make use of BritBox’s free seven-day trial.
How to Stream the BAFTA Awards Free Online With a VPN
Follow the steps below to watch the 2025 BAFTA awards completely free on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. You can stream them at the live broadcast time or on-demand.
- Subscribe to a VPN Service
Sign up for a VPN, such as NordVPN. NordVPN’s two-year plan works out the best in the long run with its 72% discount. Plus, you can take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee to get a refund when you’re done.
- Install the VPN App
Download the VPN on your chosen device and install it. Then, launch the app and log in to your account.
- Connect to a U.K. Server
Find a server in the U.K. and click on it to connect.
- Create a Free BBC iPlayer Account
Go to the BBC iPlayer website and create a free account. You’ll need a valid email address for verification and a U.K. postcode (any random one will do). You may be asked if you have a TV License, either during sign-up or when you want to stream — just click yes. It won’t be checked.
- Start Streaming the 2025 BAFTAs
Search for the BAFTAs on BBC iPlayer and click on it to start streaming. The live broadcast starts at 7:00 p.m. GMT (11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET) or you can watch it on-demand later.
The Best VPNs to Stream the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards Nominations Online
If you want an uninterrupted BAFTAs session, you need a VPN with decent speeds. Plus, it needs to be able to access streaming services easily and have servers in the U.K. if you want to tune in on BBC iPlayer. All of the recommendations listed below have what you need.
- NordVPN — The top VPN with the fastest average speeds and excellent unblocking ability. Opting for the two-year plan will provide the best price and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee you can take advantage of. Read our NordVPN review for more details.
- Surfshark — This VPN offers a top-quality service that includes fast speeds and the ability to bypass geoblocks. You also get unlimited simultaneous connections. The two-year plan is the most affordable and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our Surfshark review to learn more.
- ExpressVPN — A premium VPN at a premium price. You get an excellent service with top speeds, and its app is simple enough for VPN rookies. Choosing the two-year plan reduces the cost and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our ExpressVPN review goes into more detail.
Best Free VPN to Stream the BAFTA Awards: PrivadoVPN
If you’re looking for a 100% free VPN, PrivadoVPN is your best bet. It’s secure, has decent speeds (though you’ll be capped once you hit 10GB of data) and includes free U.K. servers. It can access BBC iPlayer easily, so it’s a great pick for some no-strings-attached streaming. Read our PrivadoVPN review for a better look at the service.
When Will the 2025 BAFTA Awards Take Place?
The EE BAFTA Film Awards take place on Sunday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. GMT (11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET). The ceremony will be held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in central London.
Who Is Hosting the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards?
Award-winning actor David Tennant will host the BAFTA Awards ceremony for the second time in a row. Before David Tennant, you can tune in to Alex Zane and Clara Amfo live from the red carpet on the BAFTAs YouTube channel.
Aside from the hosting, we’ll also see Take That performing their song “Greatest Day,” and, during the In Memoriam, Jeff Goldblum will give an exclusive performance on piano.
BAFTA Nominees in 2025
While more than 230 films were longlisted for consideration, 42 films received nominations. Those with the most nominations include:
- ‘Conclave’ — 12 nominations
- ‘Emilia Pérez’ — 11 nominations
- ‘The Brutalist’ — Nine nominations
- ‘Anora,’ ‘Wicked’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’ — Seven nominations each
- ‘Kneecap’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’ — Six nominations each
- ‘The Substance’ and ‘Nosferatu’ — Five nominations each
The Outstanding British Film award, which was presented to ‘The Zone of Interest’ (directed by Jonathan Glazer) in 2024, has 10 film nominations this year. There are of course a lot of other movies that have received nominations for various awards too, such as ‘The Apprentice,’ ‘Wild Robot’ and ‘Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance So Fowl,’ as well as some British shorts.
You can find all of the 2025 BAFTA nominees here and you can watch the nominations announcements on BBC iPlayer.
2024 BAFTAs Recap
The 2024 BAFTAs saw ‘Oppenheimer’ win seven awards, including Best Picture, Christopher Nolan winning Best Director and Robert Downey Jr. winning Best Supporting Actor. ‘Poor Things’ won five BAFTAs, with Emma Stone receiving the award for Leading Actress.
Rosamund Pike and Barry Keoghan were nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Leading Actor respectively for their roles in ‘Saltburn,’ though Da’Vine Joy Randolph (‘The Holdovers’) and Cillian Murphy (‘Oppenheimer’) took home the awards.
We also saw the likes of Vivian Oparah (‘Rye Lane’), Jacob Elordi (‘Saltburn’) and Claire Foy (‘All of Us Are Strangers’) receive nominations, among many others. Plus, while ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ received many nominations, it went home empty-handed.
Final Thoughts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards are basically the British version of the Oscars. They take place this Sunday, Feb. 16 and you can watch for free on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.
Remember, if you’re not in the country, you’ll need to use a VPN such as NordVPN to gain access. You can try NordVPN risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Aside from the BAFTAs, we also have articles on how to watch other awards ceremonies:
Where will you stream the BAFTAs? Will you need to use a VPN? Which movies, actors or actresses do you want to see win a BAFTA? Let us know in the comment section and, as always, thank you for reading.
FAQ: BAFTA Awards Ceremony
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The BAFTAs will be available to stream on BritBox in the U.S. and you can make use of the seven-day free trial. Alternatively, you can hop on a U.K. VPN server and watch them on BBC iPlayer for free.
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The BAFTAs will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. You can also watch them on BritBox in the U.S. and a few other countries.
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Yes, in fact, ‘Emilia Pérez, ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,’ ‘Daughters’ and ‘Will & Harper,’ all of which are available on Netflix, have received BAFTA nominations.
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Yes, the 2025 BAFTAs will be available on-demand on BritBox. BritBox has the streaming rights for the BAFTAs 2024-2025 outside the U.K., but we don’t yet know if the 2026 BAFTAs will be available on the service.
