Beyonce Knowles and Megan Thee Stallion accepting the award for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Grammy Award. Photo: AFP Relaxnews
The Grammy Awards held earlier this week (March 14, US date) had some interesting moments, despite its “hybrid format” due to the pandemic, including live and pre-recorded performances from the likes of BTS, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift.
However, according to Nielsen data, only 8.8 million tuned in to watch the ceremony live this year. This figure is down 53% from 2020.
The report continues that the ratings failed to attract Americans especially in the 18- 49 age group.
An article on dailyup.etxstudio.com stated that just 2.1% of Americans from that age group watched the event on the NBC network or online this year, compared to 5.4% of them in 2020.
With grand Hollywood events like Grammys having to adapt in the face of the pandemic, the lacklustre figure is definitely something the entertainment industry is worried about.
This year’s Golden Globes, for example, drew 6.9 million viewers in the US compared to 18.3 million viewers in 2020, equalling to a 62% decline (Entertainment Weekly).
How will these numbers affect the upcoming Oscars, scheduled to be held on April 25?
Awards ceremony viewer ratings, say industry professionals, have been declining since even before the pandemic, but it has gotten that much worse since the onset of the pandemic.
In a report, Richard Rushfield, editor-in-chief of newsletter The Ankler is quoted saying this: “This is actually nothing new, but it's accelerated. Things that might have taken 10 years have now happened in six months."
