Amazon’s Prime Video will become the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards under a six-year deal starting with the live September 2027 ceremony, which will be free to watch without a subscription, Reuters reported, and the Television Academy announced. The agreement ends the awards’ rotating arrangement with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, which carried the telecast through this year.
Emmy Awards leave the network rotation
The 2027 ceremony will be the first in the awards’ history not to air on a broadcast outlet, The Hollywood Reporter said. The Academy’s rotation among the four networks had been in place since the mid-1990s, following earlier runs on Fox and ABC.
This year’s ceremony aired on NBC on 14 September, with the show streaming on Peacock the following day, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Television Academy chair Cris Abrego said the organisation discussed renewing its broadcast deal and spoke with other outlets before choosing a different approach. He described the decision as “truly an opportunity to rethink the model and not simply just renew the deal”, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The change comes as streaming and cable programmes account for most of the winners at the Primetime Emmys. At the most recent ceremony, 18 of the 19 primetime trophies went to programmes from streaming or cable services, including Netflix, Apple TV and HBO or HBO Max, Media Play News reported.
The 2026 telecast drew 6.8 million viewers, according to Media Play News. The outlet also reported that the deal is worth more than $15 million a year, compared with the $9.5 million annual fee ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC paid under the previous arrangement. Prime Video says it will use its services to build year-round opportunities for viewers to discover and engage with television, extending its relationship with the Academy beyond the annual ceremony.
For viewers, the Academy says the Emmys will be free worldwide and won’t require a Prime Video subscription. Abrego put the access principle this way:
“Exclusivity in the honors should never mean exclusivity in access.”
Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter
The September timing could still change in future years. Academy executives are open to changing the date to avoid competing NFL games, Media Play News reported.
Frequently asked questions
Will the Creative Arts Emmys also move to Prime Video?
The Television Academy is still discussing the televised future of the Creative Arts Emmys, which have aired on FXX for more than a decade. Prime Video may also carry other Academy events, including the Hall of Fame and Television Academy Honours ceremonies.
