Emmys will move to Amazon Prime
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Mariska Hargitay and Taylor Swift appear in a pre-taped sketch for the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
The Television Academy and Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday announced a historic six-year deal for exclusive global rights to the Emmy Awards.
Why it matters: The deal expands the Emmys' distribution globally and gives the show a steady home for the first time in decades.
- For the past 31 years, the Emmys have been broadcast through a "Wheel Deal" arrangement that gave ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox rotating annual distribution rights.
Zoom in: The new arrangement, which begins in 2027, will be available for free to viewers worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.
- It will see Prime Video creating "new experiences and entry points for fans to discover, engage with and celebrate what they love about TV," the Television Academy and Prime Video said in a joint statement.
What they're saying: "Since their inception in 1949, the Emmy Awards have captured the global imagination, celebrating the stories, creators and performances that define the cultural zeitgeist," both parties said.
- "This new alliance ensures that TV's premier honors will continue to adapt to a changing media landscape, embracing the future of how audiences consume great television."
By the numbers: The Emmys have lost roughly half its audience since the 2010s, when live award show audiences peaked.
- While it has the smallest audience among the major award shows, its viewership decline hasn't been as precipitous as that of the Oscars and the Grammys.
The big picture: More awards shows are moving to streaming as viewership wanes on traditional television.
- The Oscars will move to YouTube beginning in 2029, after airing on ABC for more than 50 years.
- The Screen Actors Guild Awards moved from TNT to Netflix under a multiyear deal announced in 2023, with the ceremony beginning to stream live on Netflix in 2024.
- The Academy of Country Music Awards left CBS for Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
