Golden Globes 2026 Suffer Another Viewership Decline After Previous 26% Drop

The Golden Globes have experienced a significant dip in viewership this year. Is this an indication of the quality of their content?

The 2026 installment of the award ceremony is not the first time it has suffered a drop in audience engagement, as in previous years, except for 2024, they experienced a significant reduction in views as well. Over the years, they have made changes to their modus operandi after coming under heat for a lack of inclusion.

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually to actors, artists, and other professionals in recognition of outstanding achievement in motion pictures and television during the previous year. The presentation of awards dates back as early as 1944.

The 2026 Golden Globes Mark Another Ratings Dip

The 83rd edition of the Golden Globe award ceremony, which ran this year, received 8.66M live and same-day viewers. This seems like a large audience, but in comparison with the statistics from Nielsen data, it was yet another case of a year-over-year audience decrease.

Last year, they had about 9.27M viewers, bringing the dip in the current show to a little under 7%. Although they recorded a noticeable decrease, it comes nowhere close to their lowest 6.3M views in 2023.

As shared by Deadline, overall, the Golden Globes' viewership has significantly dropped over time, as back in 2020, the Globes averaged 18.3M viewers. On the bright side, in comparison with other shows, it received higher views than the 2025 Emmys, which had a tad over 7M viewers.

Inside The All-Time Low Rating For The 2023 Golden Globes 

The 80th annual Golden Globes recorded the lowest rating in audience views. They drew a 1.1 rating and 6.3 million viewers, bringing them down by 26% and 9%, respectively, from the last Golden Globe awards.

Before this airing, its last telecast was in 2021, which drew roughly 6.9 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults. The 2023 Globes, however, garnered nearly 11 million digital page views and video views.

The Globes lost NBC as a broadcast partner in 2022, and Variety shares that this was due to allegations of questionable financial practices inside the small, exclusive organization, and an issue of lack of diversity and representation.

The Award Show Made A Comeback In 2024

In 2024, the Golden Globes completely flipped the switch with their streams and viewers. The ceremony aired live on CBS on January 7, 2024, and averaged over 9 million viewers. 

This marked up to a 50% increase from the massive dip in 2023. Billboard noted this was its largest audience since 2020. Hollywood's Party of the Year was the most-watched entertainment program that Sunday. This was a remarkable comeback for Hollywood.

This came after a scandal occurred on the show due to issues of inclusion and lack of diversity in the organisation. The hosts of the 2021 ceremony, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, openly called out the show, calling the awards expletive words.

"We all know awards shows are stup-d. The point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association," Fey stressed before adding that a change was expedient.

2023 Marked A Change In A 60-Year Golden Globe Tradition 

The Globes have been hiring actors' children as escorts for award winners, but in 2023, the 60-year tradition was scrapped.

Nepo babies who got the privilege to escort winners to the stage include Melanie Griffith and her daughter Dakota Johnson. Laura Dern, Isan Elba, and all of Sylvester Stallone's daughters.

As reported by The Blast, the Nepo babies did not just accept their fate in silence. They voiced out their plight, creating a wave in the media. Celebs such as Gwyneth Paltrow and  Lourdes Leon also chimed in on the subject.

Taking this tradition off the show was portrayed as a move to curb a level of nepotism in the industry.

A Celebrity's 2026 Golden Globe Loss Created A Viral Moment

The eventful 2026 Golden Globe Awards captured several cheerful moments from the awardees. A moment that stood out was Amanda Seyfried's loss.

She lost the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture to Rose Byrne. At that moment, she forced a smile and joined the standing ovation for the winner.

As reported by The Blast, her body language created a viral sensation, and an analysis from awards expert Judi James came to light. She said that Seyfried's expressions leaned towards showing signs of comedy annoyance or anger at losing instead of pretending to be delighted.