The 2025 Golden Globe Awards drew in 9.3 million viewers, marking a slight decrease from the previous year and a significant drop from its peak in 2019. This decline mirrors a broader trend affecting award shows across the board, struggling to maintain their former audience engagement.
While the 2025 viewership numbers showed a minor 2 percent decrease from 2024’s 9.4 million viewers, they remain notably lower than the 19 million viewers who tuned in to the 2019 broadcast. This year’s Globes faced competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which drew a substantial audience of 25.8 million viewers.
The downward trajectory of viewership extends beyond the Golden Globes. Award shows, once cultural mainstays have been grappling with declining viewership for years. Factors such as shifting audience preferences, the rise of streaming platforms, and changing viewing habits have contributed to this trend.
The Golden Globes, in particular, have faced additional challenges in recent years. In 2022, NBC declined to televise the ceremony following a Los Angeles Times investigation that uncovered ethical lapses and a lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the voting body for the Globes. The HFPA was subsequently dissolved, and the Globes were picked up by CBS in 2024.
Despite efforts to revitalise the show, including this year’s well-received hosting by comedian Nikki Glaser, the Globes continue to face an uphill battle in attracting viewers. Glaser’s performance was lauded as a significant improvement over last year’s host, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the decline.
Mixed results were observed among key age demographics. Viewership among 18- to 34-year-olds decreased by 5 percent, while viewership among 25- to 54-year-olds saw a 3 percent increase compared to last year.
The Nielsen data contrasts with figures released by Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the Globes. The company reported an average viewership of 10.1 million, citing data from Nielsen rival VideoAmp. They also noted a 9 percent increase in the live streaming audience compared to the previous year.
The disparity in viewership figures highlights the evolving landscape of audience measurement and the challenges of accurately gauging viewership in an increasingly fragmented media environment.
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