Awards season has officially started and has created quite a stir for the celebrity world and for the viewers watching at home. Many award shows have already taken place including Golden Globes, and others like The Oscars and Grammy Awards will start up later next month.

These shows have been going on for years, with millions of viewers each year. But now data has shown that the total audience numbers have fallen drastically. Oscar audience has plummeted 20%,  further 24% decline in the total audience of the Grammy Awards, which is the lowest total in 9 years.

Many people are now against shows like these.

“I don’t watch award shows. I think overall they’re just biased. I know these days they’re  trying to give awards to more ethnic people, but it’s still super biased. There are a lot of movies which they [award shows] don’t even bother or care about because they don’t follow the textbook” said Katie Wiest (‘22).

However, award shows still attract many viewers because of the suspense that ties in with the nominations. People also watch the shows to see what movies get an award, which makes them have better opinions about that movie or show

“What makes the award shows so interesting is that it just makes you think about all the movies and shows that have come out that year and you start wondering whether you should watch that as well.” said Gewirtz.

Award shows also grab attention by the costumes, the celebrities or something else. They incorporate such attractions in order to get more people watching on screen.

“Maybe people just like seeing other people succeed–especially their favorite actors. Apart from that they make it seem all fancy, and viewers get attracted to all that glam” said Wiest.

Though these shows are still wildly popular, the novelty of them may have worn off. Award shows are viewed as a popular choice for some while it is not particularly favored by others; it’s just based on the viewers’ tastes and opinions.