The Emmys are leaving broadcast TV for Prime Video, and they'll stream free worldwide

The term: six years, covering the Primetime Emmys from 2027 to 2032. The 79th ceremony, in September 2027, will be the first on Prime Video.

Free to watch: you won't need to be an Amazon Prime subscriber. Prime Video will stream the ceremony for free, in front of its paywall, TechCrunch and Variety report.

Worldwide: it will stream live in more than 240 countries and territories. Before, the Emmys were syndicated internationally, mostly through UK-based distributor Rainmaker Content, except in Canada and Australia, Variety reports.

Other shows: Prime Video may also carry other Television Academy programs, like the Hall of Fame and Television Academy Honors ceremony. The future of the Creative Arts Emmys, which aired on FXX for more than a decade, is still being discussed, The Hollywood Reporter says.

For decades, the Emmys rotated among the four big broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

The history: the awards had a six-year run exclusively on Fox from 1987 to 1992, then two years on ABC before the four-network "wheel" began, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The networks' latest deal ended with this year's Emmys, which aired on NBC and Peacock.

Breaking up: Prime Video became the leading suitor after it looked likely the wheel wouldn't continue, with at least one network, believed to be Fox, dropping out, Variety reported in September.

Firsts: it's the first time the ceremony will have a single dedicated home, TechCrunch notes. And the Emmys will be the first of the EGOT awards (Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys) to be exclusive to a streaming platform. The Oscars move to YouTube, but not until the 2029 ceremony; ABC still has the 2027 and 2028 shows.

Been here before: single-network deals haven't always worked out. When Fox grabbed exclusive rights in 1987 by outbidding the big three, the fledgling network's smaller audience meant ratings plunged, Variety recounts. In 2002, HBO bid $10 million a year for exclusive rights, but the TV Academy stuck with the networks after they threatened to boycott the show.

The most recent wheel deal was struck for eight years in 2018. The academy also considered a multi-network and streamer simulcast, Abrego said, but logistical complexities ruled it out. "The wheel deal was incredibly successful for the Academy and the Emmys for a long time," he said. "But as we approached the end, I felt strongly that it shouldn't just default to the way it always had been done."

Will rivals balk this time? "I don't think they will," Abrego told Variety. "All the industry are partners."

Neither side disclosed terms, and reports differ.

Variety: Prime Video is believed to be paying around $15 million a year for global rights, according to its sources. The broadcast wheel paid about $8 million to $10 million a year, but only for US rights.

Deadline: puts the figure at $20 million to $25 million a year, or more than $120 million over six years, Engadget and Deadline report.

"It's a meaningful investment," Television Academy chair Cris Abrego told Variety, calling it "definitely an increase" over previous fees.

Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, called it "a fair deal. We're comfortable with it. We think it makes sense, particularly when you look at it over a long-term situation."

Continuity: "Rotating every year meant in many ways that we were starting over again with a new partner," Abrego told The Hollywood Reporter. "That included everything from the creative, bringing on a new producer, to building partnerships with brands."

Free access: removing the paywall was crucial, he said. "Exclusivity in the honors should never mean exclusivity in access. Removing the paywall means we are inviting every single fan on the planet to get a front row seat to the Emmys."

One global home: the Emmys have long had international partners, but having them in one place worldwide was a strong draw, The Hollywood Reporter notes. Abrego said the academy talked with the broadcast networks about a renewal and with other outlets before choosing Prime Video.

Timing: "We timed it perfectly so that all our deals came up collectively," Abrego told Variety. "The wheel deal, the FXX deal and the international deals, all that has ended, and we put it all into one bundle."

The move comes as the Emmys face potential viewership declines, as more of the audience shifts to streaming, TechCrunch notes.

This year's ceremony on NBC drew 6.87 million viewers, down nearly 10% from the year before after a couple of years of growth, the Associated Press reported. That's still above the all-time low of 4.3 million in January 2024.

Streaming already dominates the awards themselves: this year's best drama and best comedy winners, The Pitt and Widow's Bay, are both streaming exclusives, Engadget notes.

Hopkins sees this as a long-term play. "It felt for them and us like the right number of years to see if we can together make a meaningful impact," he told Variety. "My expectation is that this is a long-term partnership beyond six years."

Abrego imagines a "road to the Emmys" on Prime Video, with interviews, the Hall of Fame and other events building up to the show. "We really talk a lot about just not making this a one-night event," he said.

"We'd like to try to create an Emmys awards momentum that could increase the viewership and get people more excited about it," Hopkins added.

The subscription angle: Hopkins pointed out that Prime Video Channels already sells subscriptions to competitors such as HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ and Peacock. "We stand up and cheer when HBO Max wins and Apple TV wins because our customers have access to them, we're partners," he told Variety. "We want to have Netflix's biggest stars, and we want to have Disney's, and we want to have everybody else's as well."

What's next: the Television Academy's planned merger with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences could happen by mid-2027, Abrego said. After that, other awards like the Daytime Emmys could potentially join Prime Video, though that would need a separate deal, Variety reports.

Other award shows are making the same move. Netflix has streamed the Screen Actors Guild Awards since 2024, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave YouTube the rights to stream the Oscars from 2029, TechCrunch notes.

• If you watch the Emmys: starting in September 2027, open Prime Video instead of a broadcast channel. It's free, no Prime membership required.
• If you live outside the US: you'll be able to watch on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.
• If you cut the cord: one more big live event no longer needs a cable or antenna.