The Golden Globe Awards sold out, and the Hollywood Foreign Press group closed

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Golden Globe Awards were sold Monday to a new owner who will shut down the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the voting group that has faced controversy over ethical loopholes and a lack of diversity.

Eldridge Industries has purchased the assets of the Golden Globes with Dick Clark Productions (DCP), which will continue to manage awards broadcasts and focus on expanding viewership of the Globes worldwide, according to a press release. DCP is owned by Eldridge and Penske Media.

The sale comes after the HFPA struggled to repair its reputation after a Hollywood backlash over its ethics and lack of diversity prompted US television network NBC to drop the Golden Globes ceremony in 2022.

An investigation by the Los Angeles Times in 2021 revealed that there were no black journalists in the organization’s ranks. Some members have been accused of making racist and sexist remarks and soliciting favors from celebrities and movie studios.

The HFPA responded by expanding and diversifying its membership and establishing new ethics policies.

Todd Bohle, chairman of Eldridge Industries, aims to remake the HFPA, a nonprofit organization of international entertainment correspondents, into hired workers in a for-profit venture. A spokesperson said all 310 current voters will be eligible to cast ballots at the next ceremony in January 2024.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Golden Globes,” Buhle said in a statement.

NBC will air The Globes again in 2023. No network has signed on to run the 2024 ceremony.

The financial terms of the deal, which was approved by the California Attorney General, were not disclosed.

(Reporting by Daniel Broadway in Los Angeles) Additional reporting by Lisa Richwin in Los Angeles Editing by Matthew Lewis

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