Not So Golden: NBCUniversal Announces it Will Not Air the 2022 Golden Globes

After 2020, consumers are looking to companies and organizations to take a stance on issues like diversity and inclusion. One area in which diversity has struggled immensely and faces major backlash is in the film industry. Because of this, consumers and even celebrities have been pushing back on Hollywood, which is largely affecting profits, business and other aspects that previously have not been challenged.

Retrieved from Rolling Stone

On Monday, May 10th, NBCUniversal, the network that paid 60$ million for the rights to broadcast the Golden Globes put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (H.F.P.A.), announced that they will not be airing the 2022 Golden Globes. NBCUniversal’s official statement read:

“We continue to believe that the H.F.P.A. is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the H.F.P.A. needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

This response comes after a 62% drop in viewers from 2020 to 2021, as many viewers protested the lack of diversity within the nominations and within the association itself. Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Tom Cruise also refused to accept their Golden Globe wins this year, noting they do not feel “happy, proud or excited to accept the award”. The H.F.P.A. sent NBC a proposed list of changes earlier this year that “charts a meaningful course for reform” however, a spokesperson for NBC responded by saying that while NBC appreciates the effort, it did not think the changes could be enacted properly by next year's awards.

From a public relations standpoint, I find this to be a strong strategic move for NBCUniversal. It is easy for an organization as large as NBCUniversal to be complicit with issues like this, but making an action as drastic as not airing one of the largest award shows in the world shows they are dedicated to the cause beyond just its effects on profits and viewership. I also think that it was powerful to stay strong in their decision even after the H.F.P.A. attempted to appease them, which will likely lead to more positive public perception.

On the side of the H.F.P.A., I think that they are in an extremely tough spot. While they have publicly disclosed actions they are taking to better diversify their committee, I think that it is too little too late, as well as needs to be done quicker and more deliberately. I think their biggest problem is that celebrities no longer consider receiving a Golden Globe an honor, but rather are embarrassed and refuse to accept their awards. In order to salvage their reputation, the H.F.P.A. needs to find a way to bring honor and pride back to the Golden Globes and increase positive public perception and gain back integrity.

While scary for brands, I think consumers being more conscious and pushing back on corporations for more inclusivity, sustainability and diversity is only going to get stronger and lead to more change from these corporations. Corporations cannot function without customers and consumers are realizing they hold the power. I believe this choice by NBCUniversal shows a shift in how deliberate and actionable corporations will need to behave moving forward.

Below are some questions I will be discussing with my capstone course about the controversy. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

1. Do you think this was the right decision for NBC? Why or why not?

2. What, if any, other actions do you think NBC could have taken from a public relations standpoint to help their reputation?

3. If you were a company related to the Golden Globes (a sponsor/film company) would you release a statement? What would you say?

4. The Hollywood Foreign Press’ reputation has also suffered largely in the last few years with backlash from celebrities and the public. If you were working for their public relations department, what actions would you take to come off as genuine, rather than performative, as that seems to be a huge problem for them?

5. How do you think this represents a shift in public relations from PR? Do you think the Golden Globes (and other award shows) will recover from this, or is this the end of Hollywood awards shows as we know it?

Insights gained from NYT article posted May 10, 2021, entitled “NBC Says it will Not Air the Golden Globes in 2022” linked here.