The Television Academy has signed a six-year exclusive deal with Amazon Prime Video, ending 79 years of broadcast TV for the Primetime Emmys.
For the first time in its 79-year history, the Primetime Emmy Awards will not air on a broadcast network. The Television Academy has struck a six-year exclusive deal with Amazon Prime Video, beginning with the 2027 ceremony. The move ends the long-standing rotation among ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC that began in the mid-1990s.
Prime Video will become the sole home of the Emmys through 2032. The platform will also carry other Television Academy events like the Hall of Fame and Honors ceremonies. The telecast will be available for free to all viewers, regardless of whether they have a Prime subscription.
Television Academy chair Cris Abrego cited the need for continuity as a key reason behind the shift. "Rotating between the big four broadcast networks every year meant we were starting over again with a new partner," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "That included everything from creative direction to building sponsor relationships."
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said the deal reflects Amazon’s ambition to deepen its role in live entertainment. "We’re honored to be trusted as the global home for this celebration," he said. The agreement comes as streaming platforms increasingly dominate both content creation and audience attention.
The 2026 Emmys aired on NBC and Peacock, drawing nearly 7 million viewers — a 10% drop from the previous year. That decline was partly due to scheduling conflicts with 'Sunday Night Football.' Ratings have been slipping for years as networks lost interest in promoting an event that increasingly celebrates non-network programming.
The Oscars are also shifting, to YouTube by 2029. But the Emmys are the first EGOT award to go fully digital. The change opens the door for potential calendar adjustments, possibly moving the show earlier in the year to keep it fresh.
Amazon’s push into live events continues. With many nominees expected to be part of its own streaming ecosystem, the Emmys could become a powerful marketing tool. The streamer already bundles third-party services, and the awards offer another way to drive engagement across its platform.
This isn’t just a broadcast switch. It’s a signal: television’s biggest night is no longer bound by network schedules or paywalls. It’s going global, free, and on one screen.
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