TV Ratings: Golden Globe Awards Slump 10 Percent

After a one-year hiatus, the ceremony televised Tuesday on NBC averaged 6.25 million viewers, according to The L-A Times citing Nielsen data. The figure is down 10% from 2021, when 6.9 million viewers watched the event presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. The show drew nearly 19 million viewers as recently as 2019.

NBC did not air the Golden Globes last year after a February 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation raised concerns about the HFPA’s ethics and financial practices and revealed that not one of its then-87 members was Black.

The show’s organizers now have the opportunity to shop the franchise to other outlets, and NBC must decide whether the show provides value to its broadcast network or streaming service, Peacock.

While the Golden Globes scandal was a hot topic in Hollywood, much of the rest of the country was likely not up to speed on the HFPA’s issues until show host Jerrod Carmichael referenced them in his monologue.

The small audience for the 80th Golden Globes is more likely due to the ongoing trend of the TV audience turning away from awards shows in general, as every major trophy event, including the Oscars and Grammy Awards, has hit ratings lows in recent years.

Younger viewers are content to watch video clips of the proceedings, rather than sit through a three-hour-plus telecast with commercial breaks.

While the ratings were hardly robust, NBC executives privately said the show was qualitatively good enough to consider returning. They were relieved to see high-wattage celebrities in the audience, including Brad Pitt, Rihanna and Steven Spielberg. Spielberg’s latest film, “The Fabelmans,” won for best motion picture — drama; he was also honored as best director.

But apparently there is still work to be done, as many Black A-list talent, including Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington and Shonda Rhimes — one of the harshest critics of how the HFPA conducted itself in the past — were absent.

When considering a deal for the Golden Globes, a TV network will look at whether the telecast can turn a profit or break even as an ad-supported show while serving as a promotional platform for its other properties. A streamer will be willing to pay more in pursuit of an event that gives consumers another reason to subscribe to a service.

Streaming services are moving into the live event business. On Wednesday, Netflix announced it will offer the SAG Awards, which had aired on TBS. Last year, the Academy of Country Music Awards moved from CBS to Amazon’s Prime Video.