Were they waiting for their American counterparts to announce first?
Half an hour after the Academy announced that the 2012 Oscar ceremony will take place on February 26, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts put out its own release, announcing that the Orange British Academy Film Awards will take place two weeks earlier, on February 12.
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(The "Orange" in the title of the ceremony is the sponsor – in other words, the show's title is like the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, or Morgan Spurlock's new "Pom Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold.")
The show will take place at the Royal Opera House in London, and usually draws a hefty contingent of jet-lagged stars and filmmakers who are also up for Oscars.
BAFTA's last three Best Picture winners, "The King's Speech," "The Hurt Locker" and "Slumdog Millionaire," went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
Nominations will be announced on January 17, after an earlier announcement of the "longlists" from which the nominees will be chosen.