While the list of winners was widely praised, not a lot else about NBC’s telecast of the 78th Golden Globe Awards seemed to go right – including its ratings.
Plagued by scheduling issues, social-distancing limitations, technical glitches and internal controversies, this year’s ceremony attracted the smallest audience in at least 25 years.
According to Nielsen’s data, the program averaged 6.9 million viewers – that’s a massive fall from both last year’s 18.4 million viewers (one of the most-watched non-sports broadcasts of 2020) and the previous low of 14.9 million viewers in 2009 – the year after the ceremony was cancelled due to the writers’ strike.
It’s unclear if the revelations of a Times investigation into the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which administers the awards, had an impact. That report detailing led to sharp criticism from activist groups, industry guilds and various stars.
The record-low ratings are now seen as a troubling sign for ABC’s Oscars telecast scheduled for April 25th which will still have to deal with social distancing and a real lack of crowd-pleasing hits among the potential nominees.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
