Three and a half years ago I reported that Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar had tossed me a little tidbit during a Spotlight lunch at Craig’s: Within a year or so an “Academy app” will surface that will allow Academy members to watch all the films in awards contention in high-def, but one that will also be configured so that recording content will be impossible. No more DVDs, no video links…all of that trash-canned.”

But the “Academy app” thing never happened. A few weeks later I asked then-Academy honcho Cheryl Boone Isaacs whether the “Academy app” was in fact being developed. She didn’t deny that some kind of streaming option was being looked at, but indicated it wouldn’t happen for a while.

Now something similar is afoot. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Rebecca Keegan and Scott Feinberg are reporting that the Academy “is developing a streaming service of its own that would enable distributors to stream their own Best Picture Oscar hopefuls to voters,” but at a cost of $10K to $15K per film.

“The matter was the hot topic of discussion at an April 11 meeting at Academy headquarters,” THR reports. In attendance were “several dozen publicists who work on Oscar campaigns each year, including top awards strategists Tony Angellotti (Universal/Pixar); Justin Balsamo (Focus Features); Kira Feola (Disney); Laura Kim, Melody Korenbrot (Sony Classics); Leanne McClaflin (Amazon); Russell Nelson (Paramount); Danni Pearlberg (Sony); Michele Robertson, Cynthia Swartz, Lisa Taback (Netflix); Jason Wilk (Bleecker Street); and Lea Yardum.”