Globes ratings plummeted by more than 60% of the 18.3 million viewers who watched last year, according to Nielsen data, to an average audience of 6.9 million. While the Globes have a long and uneven TV history – sometimes broadcast in syndication, via cable, and for a while after a previous scandal, not at all – that’s the lowest attunement since NBC acquired the broadcast rights in the 1990s.
NBC noted that audiences topped the Emmy Awards in September, but that’s hardly an achievement as those numbers hit rock bottom as well. Everything indicates that the hunger for award shows – which is already steadily declining – has met with a serious setback in a year when many cinemas have closed and much of the film distribution has been forced to migrate to streaming services.
The big winners in the best film categories – the drama “Nomadland” and the satirical comedy “Borat Subsequent Movie Film” – premiered on Hulu and Amazon respectively.
Plus, the use of a virtual format – with bicoastal hosts in Tina Fey and Amy Poehler – robbed the Globes of their usual free-running atmosphere, resulting in a broadcast riddled with technical glitches and awkward moments.
Low ratings are just one of the problems faced by NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that awards the annual awards. Reporting in the Los Angeles Times brought to light new ethical questions about the group, as well as the absence of black members, a fact that has drawn criticism from major Hollywood figures, leading HFPA representatives to pledge to address the latest issue on the air. .
NBC has so far not commented on the latest reports on the HFPA, which derives most of its revenue from its broadcast license fee and donates much of it to charitable endeavors.
Like the Globes, this year’s Academy Awards were delayed by about two months, with nominations on March 15 and the ceremony on April 25.
