Sunday’s Golden Globes awards show in Hollywood was a real snoozefest, but not according to this headline from Variety. Ratings for the annual gathering of the rich and pampered “climbed” thanks to host Ricky Gervais:
#GoldenGlobes ratings climb with @RickyGervais' return. https://t.co/8bUbAHuQHw pic.twitter.com/8rSokfaJpd
— Variety (@Variety) January 12, 2016
Except when you click through to the article, you get the truth. Ratings declined 4% over last year’s broadcast:
Golden Globes Draw 18.5 Million Viewers, Down 4% From Last Year
UPDATE: Sunday’s telecast of the Golden Globes on NBC has joined other major awards shows over the past year to post ratings declines, with this year’s telecast — which went up against the closing minutes of NFL playoff coverage on Fox in much of the country — down about 4% in viewership from last year.
According to Nielsen estimates that accurately encompass West Coast viewing, the “73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards” on NBC averaged a 5.5 rating in adults 18-49 and 18.5 million viewers overall. This leaves it down vs. last year by 5% in the demo (from 5.8) and 4% in total viewers (from 19.31 million).
It’s possible the mangled syntax in the tweet was referring to the last time Gervias hosted the show in 2012:
This year’s Golden Globes telecast, hosted by Ricky Gervais, did grow 10% vs. his prior turn hosting in 2012 (5.5 vs. 5.0 in 18-49 and 18.51 million vs. 16.85 million). Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted from 2013 through 2015.
But this still hides what’s going on. Here are the year-by-year numbers:
#GoldenGlobes 5-year ratings track
2012: 5.0 (Ricky)
2013: 6.4 (Amy+Tina)
2014: 6.5 (Tina+Amy)
2015: 5.8 (Amy+Tina)
2016: 5.5 (Ricky)— Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe) January 11, 2016
Variety did tweet out the same article with an accurate headline a few hours later:
#GoldenGlobes ratings drop from last year https://t.co/y2vbak9ObT pic.twitter.com/kFAiZa3jrV
— Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2016
Gervais is also defending himself from critics who thought his Caitlyn Jenner jokes were transphobic:
Suggesting a joke about Caitlin Jenner is automatically transphobic is like suggesting a joke about Bill Cosby is automatically racist.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 12, 2016
Viewer: I'm offended by a joke you made.
Me: So?
Viewer: You gonna apologise?
Me: No.
Viewer: Then I won't watch you again.
Me: Correct— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 12, 2016
In the future, everyone will be offended by me for 15 minutes. pic.twitter.com/sTiLO5p9w0
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 12, 2016
You have every right to be offended. Just don't cry when no one cares.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 12, 2016
He’s correct. We don’t care about him.
***
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