January 20, 2014 - 3:14 PM
TORONTO - Global is standing by a decision to air the Screen Actors Guild Awards a day late over the weekend, a scheduling decision that had some film and television junkies fuming because they couldn't watch the bash live on TV.
As a result, there were no surprises by the time Saturday's gala aired Sunday in Canada, belatedly revealing top film acting prizes for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto of "Dallas Buyers Club," Cate Blanchett of "Blue Jasmine" and Lupita Nyong'o of "12 Years a Slave."
By this point, many of the show's hard-core followers had already been sent over the edge, after searching without luck to find the annual parade on TV the night before.
Many took to Twitter to express their frustrations Saturday.
"Global is airing the SAG Awards TOMORROW. Bloody ridiculous. Guess I'll be keeping up via Twitter," tweeted a wannabe viewer with the handle Tasha.
"Why isn't Global airing the SAG Awards today? WHY?" fumed another poster, signed in as Nicky Odujirin.
"And do you know what moron is responsible for this decision? Unbelievable. I'm pissed," fumed another tweet, attached to a Jessica Mendes.
Global said Monday that it decided to slot in the two-hour special a day late after reviewing its broadcast plans on both nights.
"We took a look at our Saturday and Sunday night schedules and felt we could best optimize the show as part of our Sunday night lineup," the broadcaster said in a terse statement issued late in the day.
The outcry marked the second year in a row that Global elicited the ire of SAG Awards fans.
Last year, a "technical issue" delayed the feed scheduled for the eastern part of Canada, resulting in an episode of "From the Ground Up with Debbie Travis" airing in its place.
That 8 p.m. ET feed was restored by 8:40 p.m. ET and Global assured that the West Coast feed would air in its entirety.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014