The Critics Choice Awards returned to a fully in-person event on Sunday, and so did the audience — sort of. Never a huge ratings performer, the ceremony nonetheless recovered from last year’s COVID dip, averaging 1.1 million viewers and a 0.2 rating with adults 18-49 in live + same day viewership.
That rating is on par with the last regular Critics Choice Awards telecast, on January 12, 2020, which averaged 1.2 million viewers. Of note, that 2020 show aired only on The CW, while this year’s event was simulcast on both The CW and TBS. (And also of note: Those 2020 ratings represented a sharp decline for the show vs. 2019: Down 33% in the key 18-49 demographic and down roughly 22% on total viewership.)
Last year, the 2021 event, held at Barker Hanger, was a limited, socially distanced affair that attracted just 337,000 viewers and a 0.1 rating with adults 18-49 on The CW. That means the Critics Choice org can at least crow that the 2022 event was up 199% in total viewers compared to last year’s telecast, and 100% in adults 18-49 (0.2).
The 2022 telecast averaged 632,000 viewers and a 0.1 in the demo on The CW, still far below the 2020 performance on the network. But the addition of TBS filled in the gap.
Hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer, the 2022 ceremony took place for the first time at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, with a secondary location at the Savoy Hotel in London. Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and “Ted Lasso” led the night’s winners with four trophies apiece. “Succession,” “Belfast” and “Dune” each took home three awards.