Award Shows Are Losing Viewers, but Will They Ever Die?

On May 23, 2021, 2.33 million people tuned into the Billboard Music Awards. This is over 1.25 million fewer viewers than the 2020 show. A month earlier, the Academy Awards dropped by 58% when compared to 2020. In March 2021, the Grammy’s hit a historic low with only 7.88 million viewers.

These are just a few bullet points demonstrating the declining interest in award shows. While television ratings as a whole seem to be dropping, award shows have been disproportionally impacted. Viewers aren’t turning on the ceremonies, but networks still spend big money to bring in talent.

As a culture, this represents a shift. People used to rely on these shows as a summary of arts and media. The recognition of being nominated was an honor, and receiving an award could result in a huge sales boost. Now, people can get recommendations from other sources. Media is more accessible than ever, and traditional forms of media have less impact.

Numbers might be down, but award shows are still a staple of the TV lineup. They’re not likely to be leaving any time soon, but there will need to be some changes if they want people to care.

Not Just a Technology Change

As a whole, television has faced a change in viewership. Content can be streamed or recorded…