LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Testimony has ended in a trial that will decide the broadcast rights of the Golden Globe Awards, and a federal judge is strongly urging both sides to settle before a ruling is necessary.
U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz warned attorneys for the Globes' organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its longtime producers that he would declare a clear winner. That could result in the Globes being tangled up in an appeal for another awards season.
At issue is a disputed $150 million deal. If it's upheld, the Globes will stay on the NBC network through 2018.
The association claims the deal was improperly negotiated. But producers claim they were entitled to make the deal and they can work on the show as long as it airs on NBC.