The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards with Gucci, held on May 5, wasn’t just a star-studded celebration of Korea’s finest in entertainment — it was also a ratings success, particularly among younger viewers.
According to Nielsen Korea, the awards ceremony, which aired live across JTBC, JTBC2 and JTBC4 from 8:00 PM KST, achieved a 2049 audience rating of 1.7%, securing the top spot in that demographic for the evening. The show also recorded a 2.8% rating among paid households, underscoring its wide reach.
In the “Top 30 Programs” list for weekday prime time (8 PM to 12 AM, excluding news broadcasts), both parts of the Baeksang Awards ranked prominently. Part 2, which began at 10:03 PM, posted a 2.3% rating among 2049s and 3.3% among paid households, making it the #1 prime-time program. Part 1, which aired at 8 PM, garnered 1.2% (2049) and 2.3% (paid households), ranking 4th overall.
As South Korea’s only all-encompassing awards show, honoring achievements across TV, film and theater, the Baeksang Arts Awards has continued to hold major cultural relevance. It especially resonated with younger audiences — the primary consumers of modern content — indicating strong engagement across generations.
This year’s ceremony recognized content released between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, including terrestrial, cable and OTT platforms, as well as theatrical productions and Korean feature films.
Notably, the Grand Prize (Daesang) winners sparked significant conversation. In the Broadcasting category, Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars” became the first-ever variety program to receive the Baeksang Daesang in the award’s 61-year history. In film, cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo received the Daesang for “Harbin”, marking the first time a staff member, rather than a director or actor, won the top honor.
With record-breaking moments and meaningful wins, the 61st Baeksang proved once again why it remains Korea’s most prestigious celebration of creative excellence.