Emmy Awards exit broadcast television for Amazon’s Prime Video
An Emmy Awards party.Allen Schaben / Los Angeles Times via GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleOct. 6, 2026, 9:36 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 6, 2026, 10:17 AM EDTBy Daniel ArkinThe television industry’s marquee awards show is heading to streaming starting next year.
Amazon’s Prime Video platform will be the “exclusive global home” of the Emmy Awards for a six-year period starting in 2027, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Tuesday morning.
“Television has never been more global, and the Emmys should be a celebration that the world can share,” said Cris Abrego, the chair of the Television Academy. “Now Prime Video audiences in more than 200 countries will be able to experience the Emmys live with no subscription required.”
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Emmys has been a mainstay of broadcast television for decades, with academy heads following a “Wheel Deal” system that rotated telecast distribution rights among ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
The move comes nearly a year after the organization behind the Oscars said Hollywood’s top awards show would move to YouTube starting in 2029, after the film academy’s deal with ABC concludes. ABC has aired the Academy Awards since the 1970s.
Netflix helped inaugurate the trend, scooping up rights to SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards in 2024.
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In a news release, Amazon and the Television Academy said the new distribution pact would turn the Emmys into “a year-round cultural celebration,” with Prime Video “delivering new experiences and entry points” for TV fans.
“Amazon shares our deep respect for the history of the Emmys and brings the investment, innovation and scale to help us shape their next chapter,” Abrego said.
Daniel ArkinDaniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.
