When Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais joked Sunday night that nobody cares about the awards, he could have been talking about Wall Street. Shares for publicly traded media companies tend not to be swayed much by one of the biggest events in show business.
But the massive exposure that the trophies bring — an average of 18.5 million viewers watched the Globes telecast on NBC — can lead to long-term benefits and energize aspects of their businesses. Here is how the biggest Globes-winning media conglomerates could benefit from their trophy hauls:
21st CENTURY FOX —Trophies: A total of eight — six for the film studio and two for TV, the most of any company. Potential upside: Three wins for “The Revenant” dovetail nicely with the movie’s strong weekend at the box office ($40 million) as it opened in wide release and created the strongest momentum for any film going into the Academy Awards.
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“The Martian,” the winner for motion picture, musical or comedy — whose star, Matt Damon, won the Golden Globe for best actor in that category — has already taken in about $596 million at the global box office. The film was released Oct. 2 and remains in a few hundred theaters in the U.S. and Canada and is out on DVD today.
“We are certainly hoping for a boost, for sure,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox.
TV success story: Lady Gaga’s win for “American Horror Story” should encourage other entertainment superstars to try TV, especially for a limited series on an adventurous channel such as FX. Such high-profile casting can create excitement and more viewers for such shows.
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Golden Globe winners, including Rachel Bloom with her Golden Globe for Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical, stop by the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards press room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Sylvester Stallone, winner of Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture for “Creed,” poses in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Kate Winslet accepts her Golden Globe for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, left, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio pose with awards for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Director, Motion Picture; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for “The Revenant” in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Winner Oscar Isaac for Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Taraji P. Henson in the press room with her Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Damon, winner for Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Producers Mark Pybus, left, Colin Callender and Rebecca Eaton, winners of Miniseries or Television Film for “Wolf Hall,” pose in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jimmy Naples, left, and Sam Smith, winners of the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “Writing’s On The Wall” from the movie “Spectre”, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Aaron Sorkin, winner of Screenplay - Motion Picture for “Steve Jobs” at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Laszlo Nemes, center, actor Geza Rohrig, second from left, and other members of the “Son of Saul” team pose with the award for best foreign-language film for “Son of Saul,” in the press room at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jennifer Lawrence won the award for lead actress in a motion picture comedy for “Joy.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Christian Slater took home the prize for actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television, for “Mr. Robot.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Gael Garcia Bernal of “Mozart in the Jungle” wins for actor in a TV series, musical or comedy.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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“Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, center, and the cast pose together after winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series drama.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Maura Tierney holds her Golden Globe for supporting actress in a limited series/TV Movie for “The Affair.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jon Hamm holds his Golden Globe for “Mad Men.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Winners of the best motion picture musical or comedy for “The Martian”: Simon Kinberg, left, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Pete Docter, left, and Jonas Rivera, winners of the best animated feature film for “Inside Out.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Lady Gaga with her Golden Globe for actress in a miniseries or a motion picture. She will perform the national anthem at Super Bowl 50.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Gael Garcia Bernal, Bernadette Peters and Lola Kirke share the Golden Globe for TV series comedy for “Mozart in the Jungle.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
COMCAST —Trophies: Two for Universal Pictures’ movie “Steve Jobs” and USA Network’s show “Mr. Robot.” Potential upside: “Mr. Robot” is at the center of USA Network’s effort to reposition itself as a cable network destination for younger-skewing, bolder programming with unlikely heroes who are rebels with a cause. Winning awards helps to reinforce that effort.
“It certainly gives us a lot of momentum as we roll out the next generation of USA shows,” network President Chris McCumber said. “It certainly has a halo effect on the network and on advertisers as well.”
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“Jobs” reboot? After the movie flopped at the box office, the wins for Kate Winslet and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin could revive interest in the aftermarket for the biopic. The studio had no comment, but Sorkin viewed the award as vindication.
“We understood it wasn’t for everybody,” Sorkin said in an interview Sunday night. “It wasn’t going to be ‘The Martian,’ but we worked so hard on it. We just didn’t want that to be the epitaph of the movie. So this is just very, very nice,” he said as pointed to his trophy.
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Comedian and host Ricky Gervais opened the show with jokes that made some laugh hysterically, and others cringe.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Jennifer Lawrence accepts the award for actress in a motion picture comedy for her role in “Joy.” “Every time I’m up here, it’s because of you,” Lawrence said of her director David O. Russell.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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In the final award of the night, Alejandro G. Inarritu accepts the honor for motion picture drama for his film “The Revenant.”
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Brie Larson accepts the award for actress in a motion picture drama for her role in “Room.” After a long list of folks to shout out, she said, “I’m sorry to anyone I forgot, I’ll write you a thank you card.”
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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As Taraji P. Henson walked to the stage to accept her award for actress in a TV drama, she passed out cookies to those around her, including one to Lady Gaga. “Cookies for everyone tonight, my treat,” she said for her winning role playing a character named Cookie in “Empire.” And just as she was asked to wrap up her speech, she refused. “I waited 20 years for this,” Henson said.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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After being announced as a two-time Golden Globe award winner, Jim Carrey made it known that he isn’t just a regular person, he is a two-time Golden Globe award winner. Though, of course, his dreams won’t be fulfilled, as he said, until he becomes a three-time Golden Globe award winner.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Presenter Morgan Freeman announces the nominees for directing.
(Handout / Getty Images)
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Alejandro G. Inarritu accepts the award for director for “The Revenant.”
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Presenter Andy Samberg sparks laughs.
(Paul Drinkwater / NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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Michael Keaton takes the stage to present an award.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Sophia Bush, left, and Kate Bosworth present an award onstage.
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Maggie Gyllenhaal introduces the nominated film “The Room.”
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
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Music, what music? Ridley Scott made sure to get in all this “thank yous” while accepting the award for motion picture comedy for “The Martian.”
(Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)
AMAZON — Trophies: Two for “Mozart in the Jungle,” including best TV series, musical or comedy. Potential upside: Choosing a comedy about finding love while maneuvering through the world of classical music in New York City may reflect the quirky taste of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. But the result is another streaming TV show, which many viewers probably never heard of before Sunday, is now on the map.
“It makes more people aware of the shows and the lineup and more people, in turn, will come to Amazon to try it,” said Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios. “We definitely saw that last year with ‘Transparent.’”
Too much TV? After wins in two consecutive years with “House of Cards,” streaming service Netflix left the ballroom empty-handed Sunday, showing just how competitive the TV landscape is.
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Without question, Amy Adams is enjoying the evening.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Steve Carell and his wife, Nancy, were among the A-listers at the event.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Gina Rodriguez smiles for the cameras as she enters the room.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Christian Slater, left, and Rachel McAdams join the festivities.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Taraji P. Henson, one of the award winners, has reason to smile.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jeffrey Tambor and Kasia Ostlun make their arrival.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Helen Mirren graces the affair with he presence.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Michael B. Jordan, center, arrives at the party.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Brie Larson was a winner for the movie “Room.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Amy Schumer and sister Kim Caramele pause amid the hubbub backstage.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Queen Latifah arrives at the party.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Natalie Dormer makes her way to the celebration.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Terrance Howard and Michelle Ghent-Howard join the festivities.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Brian Wilson arrives.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
CBS — Trophies: One each for Showtime’s “The Affair” and CW’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which is made by CBS Productions. Potential upside: Every award for Showtime’s original programs helps boost the value of a premium monthly subscription, which is even more important because CBS now offers Showtime as a streaming service that can be purchased without a cable hookup.
Gary Levine, Showtime’s president of programming, said the win for best supporting actress Maura Tierney “reinforces the fact that ‘The Affair’ has really ascended into the upper echelon of the best complex, quality dramas.”
Perception building: CW President Mark Pedowitz, who personally rescued “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” from a busted pilot scrapheap, said the win for Rachel Bloom as best actress for a TV series, musical or comedy, is a major statement for his network, a joint venture of CBS and Time Warner. “It gives you greater credibility for quality productions,” he said.
Pedowitz added that when Gina Rodriguez won the same award last year for CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” there was an uptick in TV viewing and streaming of the series’ next few episodes. He’s hoping that the same thing will happen with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” “If you had concerns about the show, having the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. tell you it’s the real deal says ‘Check it out,’” he said.
TIME WARNER —Trophies: One for HBO and a share with MGM on “Creed,” whose star, Sylvester Stallone, won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor.
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Potential upside: Not much, because Oscar Isaac’s win for best performance by an actor in a miniseries or motion picture for TV was for the high-minded but not wildly popular “Show Me a Hero.” But HBO gets most of its awards love from Emmy voters, and with its top shows such as “Game of Thrones,” “Girls” and “Silicon Valley” returning in April, there should be many winged statuettes awaiting the network in September.
Battaglio reported from New York.
Staff writers Yvonne Villarreal, Daniel Miller and Meg James contributed to this report.
Stephen Battaglio writes about television and the media business for the Los Angeles Times out of New York. His coverage of the television industry has appeared in TV Guide, the New York Daily News, the New York Times, Fortune, the Hollywood Reporter, Inside.com and Adweek. He is also the author of three books about television, including a biography of pioneer talk show host and producer David Susskind.
