Grammy/Emmy Divergence Spotlights Awards Shows’ Vexing Viewership
The ratings for Sunday’s Grammy Awards were resurgent enough to have the many who have written obituaries for televised awards shows in recent years rethinking their death pronouncements.
The 66th edition of the ceremony brought in an average of 16.9 million viewers, a whopping 34% increase over the previous year, making it the most watched Grammys since 2020. While the climb back to pre-pandemic viewership is still steep, the Grammys have at least reached another rung — and proved that last year’s boost wasn’t a fluke.
Elsewhere this awards season, the Golden Globes saw its largest audience in years. However, the Emmy Awards, which were rescheduled from last September to this January due to the Hollywood strikes, hit a new low.
The Grammys and the Oscars (the latter airing this March 10) have been the two biggest beneficiaries of the post-COVID “bounce” over the past couple of years, both in total viewership and the coveted 18-49 demographic, and that upward momentum has seemingly continued into 2024.
Continuing our VIP+ series on awards show viewership, here’s a breakdown of the season so far and why the Grammys’ success makes for a slightly more optimistic forecast.
The Golden Globes
9.4 million total viewers in 2024, +50% vs. 2023
Two years out from suspension and the first year without the disbanded Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Globes enjoyed the largest audience since 2020 and regained some of its luster as “Hollywood’s Party of the Year” (trademarked). Although this year’s ratings are still far below past years (-49% vs. 2016 total audience), the show’s simultaneous livestream on Paramount+ also drew in the second-largest live digital audience for the platform at the time — now third largest thanks to this year’s Grammys.
The show’s several meme-worthy moments potentially helped turn heads, from host Jo Koy’s monologue bomb to Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez spilling tea. Regardless, after spending years in a downward trajectory similar to several other awards shows, the Globes’ breakaway suggests the lot is either collectively on the rise or about to splinter.
The Emmys
4.3 million total viewers in 2024, -62% vs. 2016
The “75th Primetime Emmys” hit a brutal all-time low, just after the 2022 ceremony (5.9 million total audience) had previously set that record. But to be fair, odds were unusually stacked against the broadcast this year. The rescheduled ceremony aired just a week after the Golden Globes, which honored many of the same movies and shows, and at the same time as the NFL Playoffs and GOP Iowa caucus. With that context, it’s safe to assume this misfortune isn’t a kiss of death for the rest of awards season.
The Grammys
16.9 million total viewers, +84% vs. 2021
The Grammys obviously has a lot to celebrate this year, but the good news doesn’t stop at TV viewership. The livestream on Paramount+ that ran simultaneously with the CBS broadcast saw a 173% increase from last year and made 62.6 billion potential impressions on social media. Coming right off the heels of the Golden Globes’ successful Paramount+ stream, the TV/streaming simulcast seems to prove a fact that should give other awards shows pause: The ratings might be down, but the audience is still there.
There was a lot working in the Grammys’ favor leading up to the big day. The women-dominated ballot featured surprise major nominations for indie darlings such as Boygenius and Lana Del Rey as well as Pitchfork-approved stars Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and SZA, all of whom garnered positive press and excitement from fans. While the ceremony itself was notably light on spotlighting new artists, performances by not one but three all-time (and famously elusive) greats — Tracy Chapman, Billy Joel and Joni Mitchell — no doubt swayed people to tune in.
And of course, there’s the Taylor Swift of it all, who now has the record-setting number of Album of the Year wins. While she didn’t perform, her just showing up was enough of a blessing for the Grammys. From the moment she waltzed in midway through Trevor Noah’s monologue, the show was hers. And to top that off, she announced her upcoming album during her acceptance speech for one of the first awards of the night. The Recording Academy better send Swift some flowers to go with those new gramophones.
Finally, there’s the state of music-focused awards shows to consider. The American Music Awards didn’t happen last year, and there’s currently no confirmation of a comeback, while the Billboard Music Awards and Academy of Country Music Awards went exclusively digital to much success, leaving only the Grammys and the country-focused CMA and CMT Music Awards. Inevitably, the thinning herd of network TV music ceremonies may have diverted more eyes to music’s biggest night.
The Oscars
18.8 million total viewers in 2023, +13% vs. 2022
Next up on the awards schedule is the Academy Awards, which, like the Grammys, has a lot to prove after seeing a boost in ratings last year. While much of the current discourse about the nods are focused on what isn’t nominated, there are still plenty of intriguing reasons for audiences to tune in: Scorsese versus Nolan, Lily Gladstone’s potentially historic win, “Poor Things” playing this year’s dark horse, Ryan Gosling maybe bringing the Kenergy and a final bow for the Barbenheimer phenomenon.
Plus, the ceremony will be livestreamed to Hulu, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV along with its usual ABC broadcast, giving people plenty of ways to tune in.
