NBC Revives Tarnished Golden Globe Telecast, Citing Reforms

Most movie studios had quietly made it clear to NBC that they view the Globes telecast and accompanying red carpet spectacle as crucial marketing opportunities for winter films — especially dramas, which have been struggling at the box office. In a study released last year, economists at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania found that, on average, films that win Globes earn an additional $16.5 million in ticket sales.

Streaming services covet Globes to influence voters at more prestigious awards ceremonies. Last year, Netflix campaigned for Emmy votes by citing prior Golden Globe victories, despite separately vowing to boycott future Globes ceremonies until “meaningful” reforms were made.

Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment on NBC’s decision to revive the Globes telecast. The other company that had announced a boycott, Amazon Studios, did not respond to a request for comment. In private conversations, executives at all three companies said they had softened their stance in recent months and started to re-engage with some Globe voters on a one-by-one basis, if not yet as a group.

The Golden Globe Awards broadcast generates tens of millions of dollars for various Hollywood businesses. Stylists, catering companies, party planners, chauffeurs, banquet workers, florists and spray tanners count on the show to generate a significant part of their winter income. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety each generate several million dollars in revenue from Globes advertising.

Advertisers bought roughly $50.3 million worth of airtime during NBC’s most-recent Globes telecast, according to Kantar, a media research firm. Before pulling the plug, NBC was paying the nonprofit H.F.P.A. about $30 million a year for rights to the show. Another $30 million went to an independent company, Dick Clark Productions, which mounted the telecast.

Live awards shows, including the Oscars, have lost tens of millions of viewers over the past decade, but the biggest ceremonies still attract a bigger audience than almost anything else on traditional television, aside from live sports. The most-recent Golden Globes telecast, held without celebrity attendees because of the pandemic, attracted about seven million viewers, according to Nielsen. Prepandemic, the show was attracting about 18 million viewers annually.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/business/golden-globes-nbc-revival.html