Viewership for Sunday's star-studded Golden Globe awards rose 50% from last year, averaging 9.4 million live viewers on U.S. broadcaster CBS, according to Reuters citing Nielsen ratings data released on Monday.
A year ago, the Globes attracted 6.3 million viewers to the ceremony on Comcast Corp's NBC. The show switched networks after organizers made reforms to address a diversity and ethics scandal and the awards were sold to new owners.
Sunday's ceremony honored the best of film and television chosen by a new group of 300 entertainment journalists. Historical drama "Oppenheimer" dominated the night with five honors.
The Globes kicked off the awards season and were the first major Hollywood party since twin writers and actors strikes shut down much of the film and TV industry for six months last year. The event drew top acting talent and most of the Globe nominees.
This year's show followed a National Football League game, the most popular programming on U.S. television, and took place on a Sunday, which is typically the highest-rated night of the week. NBC aired the Globes on a Tuesday last year.
The Globes also streamed live to Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers. CBS said the show was the second-largest, live-streamed CBS special event ever on Paramount+, but the network did not provide the number of streaming viewers.
Organizers of the Globes were trying to cement a comeback with a larger and more diverse group of voters.
While ratings climbed, the ceremony and first-time host Jo Koy were panned by many TV critics. Koy has been successful as a stand-up comedian but on Sunday he seemed "out of proportion, out of his depth and a fish out of water," wrote Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times.
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "flailing, fun-free telecast."
"Despite seeming even more densely star-studded than usual, Sunday night's 81st Golden Globe Awards telecast was the dullest awards show I've ever watched, and I'm including every solemn and uncomfortable awards show aired during the COVID pandemic," Fienberg wrote.
Koy seemed to acknowledge he was struggling as he opened the show. "I got the gig 10 days ago!" he said. "You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up."
On Monday, Koy said performing in front of the Globes crowd was "a tough room."
Viewership on traditional television, including awards shows, has been declining for years as fans switch to streaming TV platforms and social media sites such as TikTok. Back in 2020, the Globes audience hit 18.3 million TV viewers.
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