Golden Globes U.S. TV audience down 5 percent despite Oprah, Time’s Up

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. television audience for the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony dropped about 5 percent to 19 million viewers, broadcaster NBC said on Monday, despite the show's high profile following sexual misconduct scandals that have rocked Hollywood.

Sunday's three-hour show was the second-most watched in 10 years, NBC said, but reversed an upward trend.

Just over 20 million Americans tuned in to the 2017 Golden Globes ceremony on NBC, a rise that topped two years of decline for the live show.

Sunday's ceremony, hosted by talk show host Seth Meyers, was the first big Hollywood awards show leading up to the March 4 Oscars. It was marked by scathing jokes about sexual misconduct scandals in the entertainment industry and beyond, and by passionate speeches about female empowerment.

Oprah Winfrey's powerful speech about female and black activism won the most attention, sparking calls by fans on social media for her to run for president in 2020. Winfrey was accepting a lifetime achievement award.

Every major female celebrity wore black on the normally colorful red carpet to show support for the Time's Up $15 million campaign launched last week to support victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.

The biggest winners at the Golden Globes were indie movies 'Lady Bird” and 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”