29^th ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS DELIVERS CEREMONY’S LARGEST AUDIENCE ON THE CW NETWORK IN FOUR YEARS

Star-Studded Event Garnered More Than 1 Million Total Viewers, Up +14% Year-Over-Year

BURBANK, CA (JANUARY 17, 2024) – The CW Network’s broadcast of the 29^th annual Critics Choice Awards on January 14 drew more than one million total viewers according to Nielsen, the ceremony’s largest audience on the network in four years, up +14% over last year. The biggest party of the awards season featuring the hottest stars from film and television also grew +50% year-over-year in Adults 18-49 (202,000 viewers), +37% in Adults 25-54 (239,000 viewers) and currently ranks as The CW’s third most-watched telecast of the season. The broadcast peaked with more than 1.14 million total viewers at the 9:00-9:30 p.m. half hour during the awards given for best Comedy and Drama Series.

The star-studded gala, hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler, was held at The Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. “Oppenheimer” led the winners in the film categories, earning eight awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema, Best Editing for Jennifer Lame, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score for Ludwig Göransson.

In the television series categories, “The Bear” and “Beef” each took home four trophies, while “Succession” earned three. “The Bear” won Best Comedy Series, Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Jeremy Allen White, Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Ayo Edebiri, and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ebon Moss-Bachrach. “Beef” won for Best Limited Series, Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Steven Yeun, Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Ali Wong, and Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Maria Bello. “Succession” won Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a Drama Series for Kieran Culkin, and Best Actress in a Drama Series for Sarah Snook.

James Mangold presented the Career Achievement Award to Harrison Ford in a very special highlight of the evening, while Margot Robbie presented the 8^th annual SeeHer Award to America Ferrera. The SeeHer Award honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries.

“This year’s show was an unforgettable night celebrating the great performances and hard work of this year’s nominees,” said CCA CEO Joey Berlin. “We’d like to thank our incredible host Chelsea Handler, the best awards show host in the business, as well as our amazing honorees, presenters, and nominees for coming out to make our star-studded evening truly memorable.”

The 29th annual Critics Choice Awards show was executive produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The Critics Choice Awards are represented by Dan Black at Greenberg Traurig, LLP. 

Over 25 national advertisers supported the event across categories including entertainment, auto, financial services, retail and pharmaceutical. Branded Entertainment partners included Verizon, Dominos, Unilever, Cold Stone Creamery and P&G.

###

About The Critics Choice Association (CCA)

The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 600 media critics and entertainment journalists. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.

About The CW Network

The CW Network, LLC is one of America’s major broadcast networks and reaches 100% of US television households. The CW delivers 15 hours of primetime entertainment programming per week in addition to over 300 hours of sports per year as the broadcast home to LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball games, “Inside the NFL,” WWE NXT beginning in 2024 and NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning in 2025. The fully ad-supported CW App, with more than 96 million downloads to date, is available for free to consumers on all major platforms and is home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW’s primetime programming, live streaming of LIV Golf tournaments and a library of entertaining film and television content for on-demand viewing. The CW is 75%-owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company and largest CW affiliate group with 42 CW and CW Plus affiliates, covering 39% of the population. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.

The CW Media Contacts:

Beth Feldman Rob Moynihan

646/563-8334 760/519-5543

[email protected] [email protected]