The 83rd Golden Globe Awards, broadcast on CBS this Sunday, failed to reverse a worrying trend for the ceremony, as its television audience shrank for another year. Despite a night filled with memorable moments and sharp comedy from host Nikki Glaser, the show attracted 8.66 million live and same-day viewers, a drop of nearly 7 percent compared to the 2025 edition.
Ratings Dip Amid High-Profile Moments
Data from Nielsen, shared with Deadline, reveals that this year's 8.66 million audience fell short of the 9.27 million who tuned in for the 2025 Globes. The decline occurred even as the ceremony generated significant online buzz. Host Nikki Glaser set the tone with a politically charged monologue, taking aim at former President Donald Trump and making a pointed joke about the heavily redacted Epstein files.
Glaser didn't spare her own broadcaster either, quipping, 'And the award for most editing goes to CBS News. Yes, CBS News: America's newest place to see BS news.' The show was also punctuated by emotional and surprise victories, including a tearful Teyana Taylor winning Best Supporting Actress and Timothée Chalamet's energetic acceptance of the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy prize.
Context and Comparisons with Other Awards
While the numbers are down, they are not at a historic low. The viewership for the 2026 ceremony remains well above the show's nadir in 2023, when a record low of 6.3 million people watched. Furthermore, the Golden Globes outperformed the most recent Emmy Awards, which drew only 7.42 million viewers in 2025.
However, both events were dwarfed by the pulling power of the Oscars. The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony commanded a massive 19.69 million viewers, more than the combined audience for the Globes and Emmys that year.
Explaining the Viewership Decline
Industry analysts point to several factors behind this year's drop. A key difference from 2025 was the lack of a direct NFL lead-in programme. Last year, football games ending just as the Globes began helped retain viewers on CBS. This year, the Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game concluded earlier, potentially giving audiences time to switch off before the awards.
Additionally, competition was fiercer, with both Fox and NBC broadcasting NFL games that may have siphoned viewers away from CBS. Despite the broadcast decline, parent company Paramount Skydance highlighted a digital silver lining: the ceremony drove 43 million social media interactions, a five percent annual increase and a new record for the event.
The Golden Globes, traditionally seen as a bellwether for the Oscars, will hope its curated buzz translates into a more stable audience in future years, as the industry continues to grapple with shifting viewing habits.
