Emmys Leave Broadcast TV for Amazon Prime Video From 2027

Amazon's Prime Video and the Television Academy announced on October 6 a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global streaming home of the Emmy Awards starting in 2027, ending the long-standing rotation of the ceremony among American broadcast networks.¹⁶⁷

A new home for the Emmys

Under the agreement, Prime Video will stream the Emmys live each September for six years beginning in 2027, replacing the arrangement under which ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC had rotated broadcast rights since the ceremony began in 1949.¹⁶⁷

The Television Academy said Prime Video will make the show available in more than 240 countries and territories. Academy chair Cris Abrego said audiences in more than 200 countries would be able to watch live "with no subscription required."¹⁶

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay on NBC on September 14, was the final telecast under the previous eight-year deal. According to TechCrunch, ratings fell nearly 10% from the prior year to 6.87 million viewers.⁵¹²

Money talk

Reuters reported that the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement. Several outlets nonetheless cited differing figures from unnamed sources.⁷

Variety reported a license fee of around $15 million a year for global rights, compared with the $8 million to $10 million a year broadcasters previously paid for domestic rights only. Deadline put the figure higher, saying the deal is worth more than $20 million annually, with one source citing $24 million and a total value north of $120 million. The Verge similarly reported a total deal value of around $120 million over six years.¹⁴³

Context: awards in flux

The so-called wheel deal lasted 31 years before ending; the previous agreement, struck in 2018, ran for eight years. According to Variety, at least one network, believed to be Fox, dropped out of renewal talks in September 2026, after which Prime Video emerged as the leading suitor. The Television Academy and NATAS merger is reported to be on track for mid-2027, and the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live is set to remain the Emmys venue for at least one more year.¹

Variety noted that the 1987 Emmys on Fox ran four hours, the longest in the show's history, and drew 14.4 million viewers, down from 35.8 million on NBC; HBO had bid $10 million annually for exclusive rights in 2002. The Emmys follow other awards shows into streaming: Netflix has broadcast the SAG Awards since 2024, the Academy of Country Music Awards moved from CBS to Prime Video in 2021, and the Oscars are set to move to YouTube from 2029.¹²⁵⁷

Vision for the show

Mike Hopkins, who oversees Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios and spearheaded the talks, said Amazon plans to preserve most of the show's existing structure while improving how it's produced and extending its worldwide audience. Abrego said the Academy had sought to rethink the model rather than simply continue the existing rotation.¹⁴