The 81st Golden Globe Awards return into Sunday night. The film and television celebration that officially kicks off awards season has put Jan. 7, 2024 on the line for its next telecast, Variety can exclusively report.
The show was moved to a Tuesday this year to avoid an NFL game before the NCAA National Championship showdown. In addition to reclaiming the traditional Sunday spot, the producers behind the Globes are entertaining several offers from potential distribution partners, sources familiar with the talks said.
Both TV stations and streamers are set to air the next episode, one of the sources added. That includes NBC, the network that has aired the show since 1996. That year, Sense and Sensibility won Best Drama and Emma Thompson, winner of Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture, gave a memorable speech in her role as Jane Austen. It’s not surprising that streamers are interested in the Globes as the major platforms look to diversify their viewing experiences with live programming. In January, Netflix announced a multi-year deal to host the Screen Actors Guild Awards (which will begin service in 2024 and will be streamed live on Netflix’s official YouTube channel this year).
The Globes returned to NBC this year after a 2022 hiatus imposed by NBC in response to a Los Angeles Times exposé that revealed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the body that governs the Globes — has not one black member had. The group has outlined extensive reform efforts in its year without airtime, including expanding its voting body. Last summer, Eldridge Industries announced that it would acquire the Globes and transform the event into a for-profit, private entity separate from the HFPA’s charitable and philanthropic programs.
This year’s Globes show, hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, reached 6.3 million viewers. According to its governing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the show generated 24.2 billion views across global social media platforms. Big winners included The Fabelmans, Austin Butler, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh and Colin Farrell.
Editor’s Note: In late January, the Penske Media joint venture acquired Eldridge Dick Clark Productions, which hosts the Globes each year. Penske Media Corporation is Variety’s parent company.
