YouTube Awards were “a hot mess,” but are they a stepping stone to the future of award shows?
Yesterday’s YouTube Awards were a bust by most reviewers’ standards. With a measly 220,000 viewers (at its peak) streaming the awards live, it’s difficult to imagine online viewing as the future of award shows.
Forbes elaborates: “YouTube, which is the most powerful platform for discovering new music online, and which is owned by Google, the most powerful of all Internet companies, could only generate 220,000 viewers! Even 10 times that amount would have fallen below expectations. Just for comparison, the MTV VMA’s had a viewership of 10.1 million this year.” Source
YouTube seemed to have a good concept in theory; however, it was one that was difficult to transform into an awards show. We all see the platform as a hub for spontaneous viral videos, therefore why not make a spontaneous awards show, right? Wrong. Spontaneity was basically seen as disorganization and unpreparedness by the audience, with some even calling it “a hot mess.” Source
It seemed that the YouTube Awards were definitely under-promoted, possibly contributing to its disappointing viewership. Many did not know about the awards until viewers took to Twitter… to voice their negative opinions. According to Billboard, “The bizarre, unscripted anti-awards show, where hosts Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts were handed live infants, garnered 336,161 Tweets during a three-hour period around the 90-minute event.” Source When it comes down to it, many viewers simply do not view YouTube as a platform for watching a 90-minute show.
The numbers were disappointing and the show seemed “slapped together” and “disorganized,” yet online award shows are most likely the future. We are watching more and more of our television online; why should award shows be an exception? Perhaps YouTube’s spontaneous approach wasn’t exactly a well-executed idea, but other awards shows will soon follow in the video platform’s footsteps in order to appeal to their online-viewing audience. While the YouTube Awards probably should have enjoyed a larger viewership, it’s clear that online award shows haven’t quite taken off yet.
Tell Keywest what you thought of the YouTube Awards! Were you one of the 220,000 viewers?
