Will the Golden Globes benefit from The Taylor Swift Effect?

As we’ve previously discussed at The A.V. Club—and will be obvious to any awards show acolytes playing at home—the Golden Globes are making some pretty transparent ploys for relevance this year. The most obvious and shameless has been the addition of new categories, including “Best Stand-Up Comedian on Television” and, more egregiously, “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement in Motion Pictures.” The latter is an obvious attempt to cater to the average moviegoer, rather than the assumed cinephiles who watch “niche” films like Anatomy Of A Fall. It’s also an attempt to cash in on The Taylor Swift Effect, as the pop star is nominated for The Eras Tour concert film.

Banking on a boost from Swifties is not a bad bet in this day and age. Everything she touched in 2023 turned into gold records, and her fanbase—already (in)famously rabid in their devotion—seemed to expand tenfold. Much has been made about the NFL’s boost in viewership since Swift began attending games in support of her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. This year’s Globes, at its new home at CBS, has the benefit of both a likely Swift appearance and a lead-in from the NFL, a happy marriage of two trending topics that could give the ceremony a ratings boost.

But is that really enough to bolster the Globes’ diminishing prospects? Crucially, football was already popular before Taylor Swift showed up in the stands. The Chiefs game Swift attended over the holidays was the most-watched Christmas Day NFL game since 1989 (somewhere, Swiftie numerologists are quaking in their boots), but the weekend’s best ratings went to the Dolphins-Cowboys on Christmas Eve (per Deadline). In other words, football doesn’t need Taylor Swift to draw an audience. The Golden Globes, and the entire awards circuit, don’t have anywhere near that kind of ratings security.

It’s rumored that Swift will indeed be in attendance (Page Six says her boyfriend won’t, because of the football), and in all likelihood that will draw a few more eyes to the proceedings. The singer has been to the Golden Globes before, however, and her presence hasn’t exactly turned the show’s fortunes around. Yes, her power is currently at its peak, and some pundits predicting that she’ll actually win this time (as opposed to her four previous losses, for Best Original Song) could certainly activate The Swift Effect. If fans are willing to sit through a football broadcast for glimpses of her in the cheering section, surely they’ll be willing to stick out an interminably long awards ceremony for the chance that she’ll give an acceptance speech.

The ultimate problem is that this isn’t a permanent solution to the Globes’ existential issues. Swift will not always release projects that qualify for Golden Globes, nor will she always have this unique and unprecedented amount of attention (every star, even hers, must eventually fade). A brief infusion of extra audience members, should that come to pass, does not equal long-term stability. Producers should make the best possible program for people who actually like to watch awards shows, not for Swifties or wayward football fans who happen to tune in by chance.

The Golden Globes will air on CBS and stream live via Paramount+ with Showtime on January 7.