Early TV Ratings: Golden Globes on Track to Fall to All-Time Low in Key Demo

Sunday’s Golden Globes are on track to be the awards show’s lowest-rated ceremony ever, drawing a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49, according to preliminary data from Nielsen, which is not time-zone adjusted. The 2020 Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, currently holds the title for the show’s all-time low rating among adults 18-49 (a 4.7 rating) since it began airing on NBC in 1996. In terms of audience size, the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards — which were hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on separate coasts — settled for 5.42 million total viewers. But again, we should note that tally is according to the earliest available numbers and is subject to significant adjustment when the final ratings for the 2021 Golden Globes are reported Tuesday. In 2020, the Globes ceremony tallied 18.376 million viewers, which, at that time, was the smallest overall audience for the event since 2012. So yes, Sunday’s ceremony is likely to be the least-watched Globes ever, too. This year’s Golden Globes aired amid increasing criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the awards show, following recent reports by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times that noted the 87-member group doesn’t have a single Black member. The Time’s Up organization joined in the outcry Friday, launching a #TimesUpGlobes protest campaign over the lack of diversity, with Hollywood bigwigs like Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Sterling K. Brown and Judd Apatow supporting the effort. In response, HFPA said it would address the matter during Sunday’s show, which it did when president Ali Sar spoke on stage about the the lack of diversity in the organization’s membership and vowed to enact change, promising a “more inclusive future.” The lack of Black members in the organization was also acknowledged by hosts Fey and Poehler, as well as many presenters and winners, who took several shots at the HFPA during the televised ceremony. Find all the 2021 Golden Globes winners here. Despite the weak early Globes numbers, NBC still topped Sunday in ratings — but not overall eyeballs. NBC was first in ratings with a 1.1 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and third in total viewers with an average of 5 million, according to preliminary numbers. From 7-8 p.m., a pre-show for the Golden Globes got a 0.7/5 and 3.7 million viewers. The 78th annual Golden Globes settled for the above-mentioned rating and total viewer tally, which are subject to adjustment in final numbers. ABC was second in ratings with a 0.8/5 and second in viewers with 5.5 million. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 had a 0.8/5 and 5.7 million viewers. At 8, “American Idol” scored a 1.0/6 and 6.2 million viewers. At 10, “The Rookie” managed a 0.4/3 and 3.4 million viewers. CBS was third in ratings with a 0.6/4 and first in viewers with 6.5 million. At 7, “60 Minutes” had a 0.6/4 and 7.9 million viewers. “The Equalizer” at 8 earned a 0.7/4 and 7.6 million viewers. At 9, “NCIS: LA” took a 0.5/3 and 5.7 million viewers. “NCIS: New Orleans” at 10 ended the night with a 0.5/4 and 4.9 million viewers. Fox was fourth in ratings with a 0.4/2 and in viewers with 1.4 million. At 7, end of the NASCAR Cup Series and the beginning of “Cherries Wild” at 7 got a 0.5/4 and 2.5 million viewers. At 7:30, the end of the game show and the start of “Bless the Harts” managed a 0.3/2 and 1 million viewers. The end of that animated comedy and the beginning of “The Simpsons” at 8 combined for a 0.4/2 and 1.3 million viewers. At 8:30, “The Simpsons” wrapped up and “The Great North” started to a 0.3/2 and 1.1 million viewers. The end of “The Great North” and the first part of “Bob’s Burgers” at 9 settled for a 0.3/2 and 1 million viewers. At 9:30, the second half of “Bob’s Burgers” and the start of “Family Guy” had a 0.4/2 and 1.1 million viewers. The end of “Family Guy” spilled into local coverage at 10 p.m. to close primetime with a 0.4/3 and 2 million viewers. Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, each with a 0.2. Telemundo was fifth in viewers with 831,000 and had a 2 share. Univision was sixth in viewers with 736,000 and had a 1 share. The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/1 and in viewers with 490,000. Following local coverage, “Batwoman” at 8 had a 0.1/1 and 477,000 viewers.  At 9, “Charmed” managed a 0.1/1 and 340,000 viewers.