THE 25th ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS RETURNS TO THE CW NETWORK ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

Taye Diggs Set To Return As Host Of Three-Hour Gala Event Live From the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

(Burbank, CA - April 8, 2019) - The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) are pleased to announce that the 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards will air LIVE on The CW Network on Sunday, January 12, 2020 (7:00-10:00p.m. Live ET/ Delayed PT), with acclaimed film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs returning as the event's host. The show will continue its combined Film and Television awards format, honoring the finest in both cinematic and televised/streaming achievement, and take place once again at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The CW Network will continue their partnership with the presentation of the fourth annual #SeeHer Award. This award recognizes a woman who embodies the values set forth by the #SeeHer movement - to push boundaries on changing stereotypes and recognize the importance of accurately portraying women across the entertainment landscape. The award will bear significant importance as 2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Past recipients of the #SeeHer award include Claire Foy, Gal Gadot and Viola Davis. The 2020 honoree will be announced later this year.

"We are so proud to be celebrating our 25th anniversary of honoring the finest achievements in film and television," said BFCA President Joey Berlin. "In this golden era of content creation on screens ranging from IMAX to iPhone, critics perform an ever more important role in helping people find the best of the best. The power and importance of storytelling has never been greater, nor has the profusion of stories. BFCA and BTJA members are in the trenches every day, watching hundreds of shows and movies, and our awards show on January 12 will be the star-studded party of the year."

"We're excited to serve as the exclusive home of the Critics' Choice Awards for their 25th Anniversary, and to help honor some of the biggest stars in film and television," said Gaye Hirsch, Executive Vice President, Development, The CW. "We are thrilled to have the phenomenally talented Taye Diggs returning as our host, as the CCA continues to be one of the most anticipated events in Hollywood. Our partnership with both the BFCA and BTJA gives us the opportunity to share the star-studded celebration with our viewers."

The 24th annual Critics' Choice Awards were hosted by award-winning actor Taye Diggs. "Roma" was the most awarded film taking home four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The top film acting awards were bestowed upon Christian Bale, who took home Best Actor for his work in "Vice," and Glenn Close and Lady Gaga were both awarded Best Actress for their respective works "The Wife" and "A Star Is Born." Mahershala Ali won the trophy for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Green Book," while Best Supporting Actress went to Regina King for her stunning performance in "If Beale Street Could Talk."

Television shows "The Americans" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" led with three wins each. Claire Foy ("First Man") received the #SeeHer Award, which was presented by Viola Davis, the first recipient of the award.

"Critics' Choice Awards" are bestowed annually by the BFCA and BTJA to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics' organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film-going public. BTJA is the collective voice of journalists who regularly cover television for TV viewers, radio listeners and online audiences. Historically, the "Critics' Choice Awards" are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations.

The 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards show will be produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The BFCA and BTJA are represented by Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig.

Critics' Choice Awards host Taye Diggs was most recently seen in The CW's critically acclaimed new series ALL AMERICAN. Additionally, Diggs also starred in last year's romantic comedy "Set It Up" opposite Zoey Deutch and Lucy Liu. He also completed the independent film "River Runs Red," featuring John Cusack and George Lopez. Diggs starred in three seasons of "Murder in the First," for which earned a 2014 NAACP Image Award nomination.

His television credits include "Empire," "Private Practice" (NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor), "Rosewood," "The Good Wife," "Daybreak," "Kevin Hill" (NAACP Image Award for Best Actor- Television), "Ally McBeal," "Will & Grace," "Ed," "The West Wing," "New York Undercover" and "Law & Order." Diggs' film credits include "The Best Man Holiday," "Baggage Claim," "Rent," "Chicago," "Brown Sugar," "Equilibrium," "Basic," "The Way of the Gun," "The Best Man," "Just a Kiss," "The House on Haunted Hill," "Go," "Drum," "Cake" and "Malibu's Most Wanted."

An acclaimed stage actor, Diggs was the first African American to star as the title role on Broadway in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Additional theatre credits include "A Soldier's Play" (Second Stage Theatre), "Wicked," "Chicago," "The Wild Party" (Manhattan Theatre Club), "Rent" and "Carousel."

Diggs and collaborator Shane Evans have released three children's books, including their latest "I Love You More Than," as well as "Chocolate Me" and "Mixed Me!".

Follow the 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards on Twitter and Instagram @CriticsChoice and on Facebook/CriticsChoiceAwards. For tickets and tables, please contact John De Simio at johndesimio@gmail.com or (323) 464-7298.

About BFCA/BTJA:

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) is a partner organization to the BFCA and includes TV, radio and Internet journalists who cover television on a regular basis. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.

About The CW:

THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK launched in 2006 as America's fifth broadcast network, with programming targeting younger viewers, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. The CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, broadcasts a six-night, 12-hour primetime lineup, Sunday through Friday. The CW's primetime programming is also available to stream for free, without authentication, on the ad-supported cwtv.com and The CW app, now available on every major OTT platform. In daytime, The CW broadcasts a Monday through Friday afternoon block, and a three-hour Saturday morning kids block. The CW's digital network, CW Seed, launched in 2013, and offers original short-form digital content as well as past seasons of fan-favorite television series. For more information about the network and its programming, visit www.cwtvpr.com.

About the Association of National Advertisers (ANA)

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) makes a difference for individuals, brands, and the industry by driving growth, advancing the interests of marketers, and promoting and protecting the well-being of the marketing community. Founded in 1910, the ANA provides leadership that advances marketing excellence and shapes the future of the industry. The ANA's membership includes more than 1,700 companies with 25,000 brands that engage almost 150,000 industry professionals and collectively spend or support more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually. The membership is comprised of more than 1,000 client-side marketers and more than 700 marketing solutions provider members, which include leading marketing data science and technology suppliers, ad agencies, law firms, consultants, and vendors. Further enriching the ecosystem is the work of the nonprofit ANA Educational Foundation (AEF), which has the mission of enhancing the understanding of advertising and marketing within the academic and marketing communities

About the SeeHer Movement

Despite the strides made to accurately portray women and girls in media, an unconscious bias persists against women and girls in advertising, media, and programming. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) launched the #SeeHer initiative in June 2016 in a partnership with The Female Quotient (TFQ) at the United State of Women. SeeHer's mission is to increase the accurate portrayals of women and girls in media 20 percent by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote. The group developed a Gender Equality Measure (GEM(TM)) to track progress and the marketing effect of removing unconscious bias from ads and programming. High GEM(TM) scores directly correlate to improved ROI. GEM(TM) won the 2017 ESOMAR Research Effectiveness Award. The methodology became the industry standard in the U.S., which led to a global rollout in 2018, making GEM(TM) the global "gold standard measurement. For more information, visit www.SeeHer.com.