The Golden Globes are returning to NBC this January after a one-year hiatus following a widespread boycott of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over its lack of diversity and sputtering attempts at internal reform.
The show, which last aired on the network in 2021, will return for a new broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 10 on NBC and its sister streaming service Peacock in a new one-year deal, according to an announcement Tuesday by the network, Dick Clark Production and the now for-profit Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but they are likely to be far less than the $60 million that NBC previously paid for the show — especially since the new broadcast will air on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday (the network is committed to “Sunday Night Football” on Jan. 8). The network in 2018 signed an eight-year deal with the HFPA and Dick Clark Productions that would have gone through 2026.
As TheWrap reported last week, an announcement on the return of the awards show was imminent. The show had taken a one-year hiatus during which the HFPA said it was aiming to root out corruption, increase diversity and grow the number of voters – however it succeeded only in half-measures.
The HFPA had been pushing the network hard to restore the awards, which were a big revenue driver for the now for-profit association and its producer, Dick Clark Productions. The Globes had traditionally served as an effective marketing tool for awards season, with the Golden Globes coming at least six weeks before the Academy Awards.
“We recognize the HFPA’s commitment to ongoing change and look forward to welcoming back the Golden Globes to NBC for its landmark 80th Anniversary in January 2023,” Frances Berwick, chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to announce the return of the Golden Globe Awards on NBC and to hosting the ‘Party of the Year’ for audiences around the world who have been waiting for its return,” Helen Hoehne, president of the HFPA, said in a statement. “It’s great to be back at the Beverly Hilton for the must-see celebration recognizing the best in film and television. The HFPA remains committed to important changes and supporting programs which prioritize diversity, inclusion, and transparency. See you on January 10!”
Multiple publicists who TheWrap has spoken to in recent weeks said that many prominent Hollywood figures would not attend if the awards were reinstated, saying the event had become too controversial.
The HFPA announced a plan to increase diversity in its membership last year but fell short of the announced goals. The group added 21 new members last year (though it also lost about a dozen through death or attrition), six of whom are Black.
The group recently added another 103 voters who are not members of the HFPA — the original members will soon draw a salary from the HFPA since it voted to become a for-profit company with a sale of its assets to its billionaire interim CEO Todd Boehly.
According to its release Tuesday, the HFPA reports its voting body is now 52% female, 51.5% racially and ethnically diverse, with 19.5% Latinx, 12% Asian, 10% Black and 10% Middle Eastern.