After yet another scandal at this year’s Golden Globes, many people have been talking about the offensive ‘Barbie’ joke told by the host rather than the award winners themselves. Year after year, the big time award shows that used to draw millions of people to watch, have been on the decline.
The Oscars had a 50% decrease in viewers from 2020 to 2021, 2021 being their least viewed show ever. In 2023, around 18.7 million people tuned in to watch the Oscars, which is a huge drop off compared to 2014, where they had about 40 million viewers. 2014 was the last time the Oscars generated so many viewers.
2021 wasn’t a great year for the Grammys either. Fewer than 10 million people tuned in for the 2021 Grammys ceremony, which is on record as the least amount of viewers. Luckily, the 2023 viewership was up 30.8% from 2022, but it is still the third-lowest view count recorded.
The question about why viewership has gone significantly down seems to still be unknown. Many blame it on streaming services being more easily accessible, while others say watching celebrities get awards is pointless. Repetitiveness is another factor.
Another factor commonly mentioned is the internet. Why sit through a three hour award show when you can get live updates on your phone? Everything is much easier accessible now, for example, being able to watch the highlights of the Oscars on youtube the next morning.
According to an article written for Rotten Tomatoes by Joel Keller called, “5 Reasons Why TV Viewers Don’t Give a Crap About Award Shows Anymore,” Keller believes that there are too many award shows for people to keep up, not to mention only recognizing half of the nominees.
The dwindling viewership of major award shows raises questions about the changing preferences of audiences. From controversies and streaming services to the accessibility of information and too many different award shows, multiple factors contribute to this decline. As entertainment options evolve, award shows may need to reinvent themselves to captivate the audience’s interest once again.
