Golden Globes Slip 15% From Last Year in Preliminary Ratings

Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal Media, LLC via Getty Images

The 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, appear to be down 15% in ratings from last year, according to very preliminary Nielsen numbers.

It is very important to stress here that the below numbers for NBC are subject to significant upward adjustment. We’ll get more reliable data in a matter of hours.

For the time being, we’ve compared last year’s non-final fast affiliate ratings with the ones we received this morning. So the totals are understated and imperfect, but the comparison is apples to apples.

Also Read: Golden Globes Winners by the Numbers: HBO Tops Netflix With 4 Wins

From 8 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET, Sunday’s Globes averaged a 3.8 rating/17 share among adults 18-49 and 14.756 million total viewers. The 2019 Golden Globes averaged a 4.5 rating/17 share and 15.734 million total viewers over the same three-hour primetime period on the same Sunday in January.

The all-in audience tally is down 6%, for now.

One thing that did not help the 2020 effort is a longer delay between the final whistle of NBC’s NFL playoff game, the lead-in to the Golden Globes for the past two years, this time around.

Also Read: Golden Globes: The Complete List of Winners

NBC was first in ratings with a 4.9 rating/22 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 18.5 million, according to preliminary numbers. Again, those numbers will only rise. Last year, the Globes jumped about 18% from such fast-affiliate numbers to official ones.

NBC’s NFL game and postgame discussion drew an 8.3/35 and 29.7 million viewers in the 7 p.m. ET hour. Those numbers should also be considered very preliminary and subject to significant adjustment.

ABC was second in ratings with a 0.6/3 and third in viewers with 3.1 million. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 had a 0.7/3 and 4.6 million viewers. At 8, “Kids Say the Darndest Things” got a 0.5/2 and 3 million viewers. “Shark Tank” at 9 received a 0.6/3 and 2.9 million viewers. A repeat followed.

Also Read: Golden Globes Most Memorable Moments, From F-Word Jokes to Michelle Williams' Pro Choice Plea

CBS and Fox tied for third in ratings, both with a 0.5/2. CBS was second in total viewers with 5.6 million, Fox was fourth with 1.5 million.

For CBS, “60 Minutes” at 7 had a 0.6/3 and 7.7 million viewers. At 8, “God Friended Me” got a 0.4/2 and 5.4 million viewers. “NCIS: Los Angeles” at 9 received a 0.5/2 and 5.7 million viewers. A rerun followed.

For Fox, between repeats, “The Simpsons” at 8 had a 0.6/3 and 1.9 million viewers. At 8:30, “Family Guy” got a 0.7/3 and 1.9 million viewers.

Also Read: Golden Globes: Watch Kate McKinnon's Tribute to LGBT Pioneer Ellen DeGeneres (Video)

Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, both with a 0.3/1. Univision was fifth in total viewers with 913,000, Telemundo was sixth with 850,000.

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/0 and in viewers with 501,000, airing reruns.

Golden Globes 2020: 12 Biggest Snubs and Surprises, From Jennifer Lopez to '1917' (Photos)

The 2020 Golden Globe Awards were held on Sunday night, with a list of winners ranging from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.

Also Read: Golden Globes 2020: The Complete List of Winners (Updating Live)
Getty Images
Surprise: Ramy Youssef took home the award for best actor in a comedy series for his self-titled Hulu series, besting “Living With Yourself” star Paul Rudd, front-runner Bill Hader, last year’s winner Michael Douglas and “The Politician” himself, Ben Platt.

Also Read: Golden Globes 2020 Host Ricky Gervais’ 17 Meanest Jokes, From Jeffrey Epstein to Judi Dench
Hulu
Surprise: Sam Mendes' WWI drama "1917" pulled off an upset with Best Picture - Drama and Best Director. Mendes even acknowledged front-runner Martin Scorsese as one of the industry's giants, “Joker” director Todd Philipps, and two of the night’s previous winners, Bong Joon-Ho and Quentin Tarantino.
Universal Pictures
Snub: Netflix campaigned heavily for Scorsese's epic "The Irishman" but it came up short in all five categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture - Drama and Best Director.
Netflix
Snub: “Toy Story 4” capped off a beloved Pixar franchise, following on the Golden Globes’ best animated feature of 2010, “Toy Story 3.” But despite Pixar and the “Toy Story” franchise’s excellent awards track record, the HFPA opted to award Laika’s gentleman bigfoot movie “Missing Link” instead.
Pixar
Surprise: “Missing Link” was the only non-sequel in a category full of animated heavyweights, but the stop-motion adventure still came out on top over Jon Favreau’s “Lion King” remake and three sequels to past winners, “Frozen II,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and “Toy Story 4.”
LAIKA/Annapurna
Snub: “Hustlers” star Jennifer Lopez gave one of the year’s buzziest performances in Lorene Scafaria’s crime drama — she learned to pole dance! — but it still wasn’t enough to best perennial Globes darling Laura Dern and her role as a fearsome divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.”
STX
Snub: Ryan Murphy's "The Politician," his first series for Netflix, was nominated in two categories at this year's Globes: Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, a nod for star Ben Platt. But the political satire didn't get enough HFPA votes to win either race.
Netflix
Surprise: This year's Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category included Meryl Streep for her performance in Season 2 of "Big Little Lies." So there was no shot in hell anyone was winning but HFPA darling Meryl Streep. And then Patricia Arquette got the statue for her part in Hulu's "The Act" -- proving you should never underestimate the unpredictable nature of the HFPA.
Hulu
Snub: The final season of "Game of Thrones" had just one shot at winning a statue at the 2020 Golden Globes: Kit Harington. The Jon Snow actor was the only "GoT" cast member nominated for an award -- and the show didn't snag a nod in any other category -- so when he lost Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama to "Succession" lead Brian Cox, the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones" lost, too. Welp, either way it was a win for HBO. Cue "Succession" theme song.
HBO
Snub: Apple's recently launched streaming service Apple TV+ got its first-ever Golden Globe nods thanks to "The Morning Show." But the honor of just being nominated will have to be enough for the drama and its stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, as the show was completely shut out from a win.
Apple TV+
Surprise: Olivia Colman herself seemed shocked that her lead performance in "The Crown" beat out such Hollywood heavyweights as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.
Snub: Eddie Murphy won a Globe for his supporting role in 2006's "Dreamgirls," but he lost out this year for his performance in "Dolemite Is My Name" -- as Taron Egerton surprised for playing Elton John in "Rocketman."

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Plus: Sam Mendes, “Missing Link” and Patricia Arquette

The 2020 Golden Globe Awards were held on Sunday night, with a list of winners ranging from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.

Also Read: Golden Globes 2020: The Complete List of Winners (Updating Live)

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