A study conducted by the National Research group (nrg) stated that just 38% of consumers say that award shows prompt them to watch “content” (including films) they wouldn’t have otherwise come across and even fewer (31%) say that they wait and see what a show/ film has won or been nominated for before deciding to watch it.
However, with series and their nominations a lot of the 2025 nominations are repeat nominations. A striking example is “The Bear” which has 36 (emmy) nominations (with 21 wins so far) in three seasons, with season three receiving 11 emmys.
These series already have the privilege of continued viewership, they will naturally have a large audience who are already returning from previous series. On the other hand, some series also have the privilege of a “star” cast to bring in viewership over award shows. An example of this is the Netflix original “Nobody Wants This” which stars Kristen Bell and was nominated for three golden globes earlier this year.
Both these examples are shows that didn’t need the “impact” of award shows and managed audience and critical success. However, this doesn’t mean award shows don’t have an impact. Shows like “Shōgun” who normally wouldn’t achieve the respect and admiration by more casual viewers are given the spotlight and shown off for their, in my biassed opinion, amazing writing and production.
Furthermore, part of the joy of award shows is seeing actors like Sebastian Stan next to Ariana Grande create this strange diametric experience for a viewer as we stalk social media trying to find our favourite actors. Furthermore, the discussions that are held over series helps not only further understand the audiences but also help to see past maybe some overly-personal love for a show.
Award shows may not have the impact they used to have but this doesn’t mean they don’t have any, not only does it introduce us to new series that got hidden in discussion for other shows but it also helps to spark discussion on the shows and make us reflect on if they were as good as we remember.