Key facts
- Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards.
- The deal is for six years, starting with the 2027 ceremony.
- This marks the first time the Emmys will not be broadcast on traditional television.
- The Emmys have historically rotated between ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
The Television Academy and Amazon's Prime Video have entered into a six-year agreement that will make the streaming service the exclusive global broadcaster of the Emmy Awards, beginning with the 2027 ceremony. This landmark deal signifies the first time in the awards' history, which dates back to 1949, that the telecast will not be aired on traditional broadcast television.
Previously, the Emmys followed a "wheel deal" tradition, rotating annually among major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. The most recent eight-year agreement, struck in 2018, reportedly involved annual payments of just over $8 million. This new arrangement with Prime Video moves the ceremony to a streaming platform, a trend seen with other awards shows such as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards.
Sources indicate that the Television Academy explored various options, including maintaining a rotation with potential new outlets or a simulcast across multiple platforms, but ultimately opted for a single, long-term partner. This approach is believed to incentivize the platform to invest in and promote the telecast, as they will be airing it for multiple consecutive years. The decision also aims to avoid the historical challenges faced when the Emmys were exclusively on a rival network, which led to a decline in ratings and a subsequent return to a rotating model.