For decades, awards shows like the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, and the Golden Globes delivered the biggest TV ratings outside of NFL football, but over the past few years, ratings have been dropping and this past year was one of the worst. With the move towards streaming platforms and cinemas being closed, awards shows seem to be losing their appeal. And let’s not forget about the controversies surrounding them like the voting structure and snubbing women and people of color. So are awards shows a thing of the past?
The latest awards show, the Oscars had less than 10 million U.S. viewers, down from about 24 million from last year according to Nielsen who’s been providing audience totals since 1974. At its peak, 55.2 million viewers tuned in 1988 when Titanic won Best Picture.
The Grammys and Golden Globes were no different this year, only 9.2 million viewers tuned into the Grammys and 6.9 million to the Golden Globes, which according to Nielsen has dropped over 50% since 2020. Other shows like the Emmys, American Music Awards, the Country Music Awards, and the Billboard Music Awards, hit all-time lows also.
So, what’s the future of awards shows? Will viewership go back to normal next year or awards shows make some major changes to attract audiences?
