Amazon Prime Video to take over Emmys telecast rights in 2027

The Emmy Awards will leave broadcast television after more than seven decades under a new six-year agreement that makes Amazon’s Prime Video the exclusive global home of the ceremony beginning in 2027.

The Television Academy announced the agreement Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Prime Video will carry the ceremony through 2032, replacing the long-running arrangement that rotated the Emmys among ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

Despite moving exclusively to a streaming platform, the ceremony will remain available free to viewers without an Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription. Amazon plans to make the telecast available in more than 240 countries and territories.

The first Prime Video ceremony will be held in September 2027.

The agreement represents a significant change in the distribution of one of television’s major awards shows. The Emmys have appeared on broadcast television since the early years of the medium, with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox most recently sharing the rights through a rotating arrangement known as the “Wheel Deal.”

Having a single distribution partner will allow the Television Academy and Amazon to develop the ceremony from year to year rather than moving production and promotion among competing networks.

Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego said continuity was an important consideration in seeking a long-term agreement.

Amazon also intends to use Prime Video and its broader businesses to promote Emmy-nominated programs and the awards throughout the year rather than concentrating promotion around the annual ceremony.

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For Amazon, the deal adds another major live event to Prime Video as the company continues expanding beyond on-demand movies and television programming. The service has increasingly invested in live sports and other programming designed to attract large audiences at specific times.

It also gives Amazon an awards show that can promote programming from competing television companies while providing opportunities to highlight its own Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios productions.

Financial terms were not officially disclosed. Industry reports put the value of the agreement at about $15 million to more than $20 million annually, considerably more than the amount generated under the previous broadcast arrangement.

The move comes as traditional television awards shows face declining linear audiences while streaming platforms seek programming capable of generating live viewing and broader cultural attention.

The 2026 Emmy Awards aired Sept. 14, 2026, on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The ceremony averaged about 6.7 million viewers, down from the previous year.

The Emmys are not alone in moving away from traditional broadcast distribution. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, now known as “The Actor Awards,” moved to Netflix, while the Academy Awards will leave ABC for YouTube beginning in 2029.

The Amazon agreement gives the Emmys a worldwide distribution system that does not depend on local broadcast partners, potentially expanding access beyond the primarily U.S.-focused reach of the previous network arrangement.