Viewership for the 2026 Golden Globes slipped slightly compared with the previous year.

The ceremony averaged 8.66 million viewers on CBS on Sunday, according to final same-day Nielsen ratings that include the service’s big data measurement. That total represents a roughly 7% decline from the 9.27 million viewers who watched the 2025 broadcast. CBS had previously cited a higher figure of 10.1 million viewers for last year’s show using VideoAmp data, as the network was then in a contract dispute with Nielsen.

This marks the second consecutive year of modest declines for the Globes. The awards’ first broadcast on CBS in 2024 attracted 9.47 million viewers, followed by a dip to 9.27 million in 2025 and another decrease this year. It’s worth noting that last year’s figures did not include Nielsen’s big data component, which was fully rolled out across the ratings service at the start of the 2025–26 season. Even so, all three CBS telecasts have outperformed the final two years of the Globes when they aired on NBC.

Unlike the previous two ceremonies, the 2026 Golden Globes did not benefit from a late-afternoon NFL game as a lead-in. Instead, the broadcast faced stiff competition from an NFL wild card playoff game on NBC, which drew nearly 29 million viewers across platforms. By comparison, last year’s awards aired opposite the NFL regular-season finale, which attracted a similar audience of about 28.5 million.

Despite the ratings dip, the Globes saw gains online. The show generated 42 million social media interactions, a 5 percent increase year over year and the highest total in its history. Host Nikki Glaser’s opening monologue alone amassed approximately 14 million views across social platforms within 36 hours of the broadcast.

The red carpet coverage also performed solidly, with Entertainment Tonight’s pre-show drawing 3.4 million viewers.

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