The Golden Globes audience has shrunk since last broadcast in 2021

Approximately 6.3 million viewers watched the Golden Globes on Comcast Corp’s NBC network, according to ratings figures released on January 11; this represents a 9% decline from the last televised ceremony two years earlier.

In 2021, 6.9 million individuals watched the Hollywood awards ceremony. A diversity and ethics crisis at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the body that votes for the winners, prevented the Globes from being aired last year.

Comcast’s Peacock streaming service customers are not accounted for in NBC’s viewing estimates for Tuesday night’s show.

This year, the Golden Globes were held on a Tuesday instead of the customary Sunday in order to avoid scheduling conflicts with an extended National Football League season. During the NFL season, Tuesday night ratings are often lower than Sunday night ratings.

In recent years, the TV ratings for all of Hollywood’s big award events have declined, along with the majority of viewers of traditional television.

In January 2020, 18.3 million people watched the Globes on television. COVID-19 regulations hindered the 2021 show by requiring several candidates to present via video.

NBC decided to show the 2023 event under a one-year deal after the HFPA diversified its membership, which in 2021 did not include any Black journalists, and made other adjustments. The network reported that Golden Globes material on E! News and NBC Digital platforms received approximately 11 million views, a 54 percent increase from 2021.

The Fabelmans, a semi-autobiographical story by Steven Spielberg, and The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark Irish comedy, earned top honors at the ceremony.

The program was met with mixed reviews from television reviewers. Some have lauded the relaxed, alcohol-fueled environment that has become a trademark of the Golden Globes. Several victors admitted to having used alcohol.

Variety’s Daniel D’Addario remarked, “The speeches were convoluted and often bizarre, and the atmosphere was alternately solemn and jubilant in that wonderful Golden Globes way.”

Others said that the Globes did not merit their existence. According to Kelly Lawler of USA Today, we were better off without them.

“At a time when ratings for award events are declining, when the TV and film industries are undergoing enormous change, and when diversity and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood are nowhere near achieving their objectives, the Globes no longer seem like they belong,” Lawler continued.