The news: Golden Globes viewership declined around 7% YoY during Sunday’s 83rd annual broadcast, according to Nielsen data. The 2026 ceremony averaged 8.66 million viewers for CBS, including Paramount+ streaming audiences, based on Nielsen’s same-day figures, down from 9.27 million viewers who tuned into the 2025 broadcast.

The trend: The second consecutive decline marks another loss for what was once one of the most-watched award shows, and reflects the broader decline of broadcast viewership as audiences turn to social media for shorter, clip-worthy award show moments.

Despite viewership losses, Paramount noted that the Globes saw heightened discussion on social media, up 5% YoY to reach 43 million reactions—an all-time high for the ceremony.

Behind the shift: Viewers are turning to social media to consume live events because social media continues to evolve into an entertainment-first ecosystem.

• Social media, once defined by the ability to connect with friends and family, is now centered on the experience of scrolling, browsing, and watching entertainment content. As a result, social platforms are often viewers’ preferred destination for following live events over lengthy broadcasts.
• Viewers who do watch live events on a TV screen are often still on social media during broadcasts as second-screen usage grows steadily. We forecast that nearly 80% of the US population will be second-screen users in 2026.

How advertisers can adapt: Marketers who were once focused on creating campaigns tailored to broadcast events must now alter their strategies to cater to short-form, easily digestible social content and second-screen users.